Imagine your office window blinds could do double duty — shading you from the sun while also generating electricity like a rooftop solar panel. That's exactly what SolarGaps built: solar-powered blinds you mount on the outside of windows that track the sun, keep rooms cool, and feed power back into the building. It's aimed at older buildings that can't easily add rooftop solar but still need to cut energy costs. They've already produced and installed over 100 units on a real client's building facade.
Buildings consume 36% of Europe's energy and produce the same share of CO2 emissions. Older buildings need to reduce energy use but can't easily install rooftop solar due to limited roof or land area. Meanwhile, rising electricity prices squeeze both household and business budgets, and there's no affordable exterior smart shading solution on the market that also generates power.
SolarGaps developed exterior smart solar blinds that combine automated sun-tracking shading with photovoltaic energy generation. Over 100 units were produced and installed on a real client's building facade, proving both the manufacturing process and the product performance in a live B2B setting.
If you are a property manager dealing with rising electricity costs in older commercial buildings — this project developed smart solar blinds that mount on existing window facades to generate electricity and reduce cooling loads, saving up to 30% of electricity bills. Over 100 units have already been produced and installed on a client's building facade, proving the concept works at scale.
If you are a renovation firm struggling to make older buildings meet near-zero-energy requirements under the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive — this project built exterior smart solar blinds that combine shading with photovoltaic generation. Buildings account for 36% of energy consumption and CO2 emissions in Europe, and these blinds offer a retrofit option that doesn't require roof or land area.
If you are a hospitality or co-working operator looking to reduce electricity bills while improving comfort for guests and tenants — this project created smart blinds that automatically track the sun, generate solar energy, and create a pleasant indoor environment. The system works as both a shading device and energy generator, targeting up to 30% electricity savings without needing roof space.
Specific pricing is not disclosed in the available project data. The project focused on B2B product development during Phase 2, with the goal of bringing costs down through pilot production. Given the 30% electricity bill savings claimed in the objective, payback would depend on local electricity prices and sun exposure.
Yes. The project demonstrated production and installation of 100+ units on a single client's facade. The Phase 2 objective specifically targeted setting up and testing pilot production infrastructure for the B2B market, indicating readiness for larger-scale deployments.
SolarGaps LLC is the sole owner of the technology, operating as a Ukrainian SME. Based on available project data, the company appears to sell directly rather than license. Contact through their commercial website (solargaps.com) would be needed to discuss distribution or partnership arrangements.
The product directly addresses the EU Directive on Energy Performance of Buildings, which requires near-zero-energy consumption for new buildings from 2020. It's designed as a retrofit solution for existing buildings, which the directive identifies as the main challenge. The dual function of shading plus energy generation supports compliance.
Based on available project data, the blinds are designed as exterior-mounted units that attach to existing window facades without major structural changes. The project produced and installed 100+ units on a client building, suggesting the installation process is streamlined enough for batch deployment.
The product is described as a smart home and smart office solution with automated sun-tracking. Based on available project data, the system is designed for compatibility with both B2C (residential) and B2B (commercial) environments, though specific BMS integration details are not documented in the project deliverables.
This is a single-company project — SolarGaps LLC, a Ukrainian SME that received Phase 2 SME Instrument funding to bring its product to market. With 100% industry composition and no academic partners, this is purely a commercialisation effort, not a research project. The company already had a working B2C product and used the EU funding to develop the B2B version and set up production. For a business buyer, this means you're dealing directly with the product manufacturer, not navigating a multi-partner research consortium.
SolarGaps LLC is the sole partner — contact through solargaps.com or SciTransfer can facilitate a direct introduction.
Want to explore SolarGaps for your building portfolio? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the team and provide a tailored technology brief for your use case.
