The Top 10 Early-Stage Energy Startups in Italy 2024

INTRODUCTION

Are you ready to delve into the dynamic world of energy innovation in Italy? In 2024, the Italian energy landscape is witnessing a surge of pioneering startups, propelling the nation towards a sustainable and efficient future. From solar power to smart grid technology, top Italian startups are disrupting the Energy Market and are editor.wordWrap: onat the forefront of innovation, and investment opportunities. Let's explore the top 10 early-stage energy startups in Italy 2024.

Invest in Italy's Energy Future: Italian Energy Startups Market Size

The market for renewable energy in Italy is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 7.1% from 2022 to 2027. The effect of COVID-19 on the Italian market for renewable energy was not very apparent. The installed capacity of renewable electricity in the nation increased by about 0.8% in 2019–2020, mostly due to installations of solar PV and wind power. In the upcoming years, a strong high-growth potential in the renewable energy sector in Italy is anticipated. Two primary causes of the growth are expected: the availability of significant sums raised by national and regional forums, and the pleasant weather. But because renewables don't offer the same short-term flexibility as other conventional fuels—rather, they require long-term backup plans—the market may experience bottlenecks as a result of the dispatch-flexibility concerns.

Data from Zefyron Startup Database reveals a trend in Italian energy startups. Overall funding surged from 2019 to a peak of $2.1 billion in 2021, but dipped in 2022 before showing signs of recovery in 2023 with $5.3 billion raised. Early-stage funding, however, paints a contrasting picture. After a high of $181.4 million in 2020, it has steadily declined, reaching just $11.9 million in 2023. Interestingly, the first two months of 2024 have already seen a significant amount of total funding ($2.2 billion) raised, indicating a potentially strong year for the sector. It's important to remember that this data reflects publicly announced funding rounds, so the actual figures could be even higher.

• 1. 1. H2 Power - Energy efficiency solutions provider.

     • Headquarters - Casoria, Campania, Italy
     • Founders - Luca Monte
     • Establishment year - 2015
     • Funding(in USD) - $ 6.3M
     • Investor/s - NA

  

  2. H2 Power is a key player in the energy sector, focusing on energy efficiency initiatives. Accredited by Accredia, it provides diverse services for monitoring, managing, and optimising energy consumption, serving clients in private, SME, and public sectors. H2Power ESCo specialises in installing photovoltaic systems and improving thermal insulation for condominiums. Additionally, the company integrates energy efficiency measures, customised financing, and incentivized programs to ensure profitability across the production chain.

  1. 2. Planckian - Transforms Quantum Revolution in Energy

     • Headquarters - Pisa, Toscana, Italy
     • Founders - Marco Polini, Vittorio Giovannetti, Michele Dallari
     • Establishment year - 2021
     • Funding(in USD) - $ 3M
     • Investor/s - CDP Venture Capital, Exor Ventures, Eureka Venture SGR

  

  2. Planckian is an innovative company at the forefront of merging quantum physics with materials science, with a primary focus on developing quantum batteries for energy storage. The company has devised a groundbreaking technology that harnesses the power of quantum particles to enable rapid charging and scalability, envisioning a revolution in energy management with cutting-edge quantum-driven solutions.

  1. 3. Sinergy Flow -Revolutionizes Long Duration Energy Storage technology and clean energy

     • Headquarters - Milano, Lombardia, Italy
     • Founders - Alessandra Accogli, Gabriele Panzeri, Matteo Salerno
     • Establishment year - 2022
     • Funding(in USD) - $ 1.8M
     • Investor/s - Cleantech Open, CDP Venture Capital, 360 Capital, PoliHub

  

  2. Sinergy Flow leads the way in developing a sustainable redox flow battery designed for multi-day energy storage, facilitating up to 90% renewable energy integration. Their technology, constructed from earth abundant materials, aligns with Circular Economy principles. Featuring modularity, scalability, and customization options, their battery offers a high energy-to-power ratio, making it well-suited for extended storage durations, thereby transforming the energy industry.

  1. 4. Jarvis by IOOOTA Srl - Remote Smart Energy Management Solution

     • Headquarters - Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
     • Founders - Luca Degli Esposti, Riccardo Malatesta, Roberto Pierpaoli
     • Establishment year - 2015
     • Funding(in USD) - $ 1.8M
     • Investor/s - Invitalia, Genera Group, Luigi Rossi Luciani SApA, Horsa Spa, TeknoImpianti Srl

  

  2. IOOOTA Srl presents Jarvis, a revolutionary solution for smart and sustainable energy management. The Energy Kit, inclusive of a hub, energy meter, and app instructions, empowers users to remotely control their devices. Jarvis optimises time, energy, and cost efficiency while enhancing safety in energy management. Users have the flexibility to choose compatible devices suited to their needs. Jarvis also offers an app where users can manage all devices seamlessly.

  1. 5. Limenet - Sustainable Carbon Capture and Renewable Energy technology

     • Headquarters - Lecco, Lombardia, Italy
     • Founders - Enrico Noseda, Giovanni Cappello, Stefano Cappello
     • Establishment year - 2023
     • Funding(in USD) - $ 1.6M
     • Investor/s - COREangels Climate, Moonstone, AitherCO2

  

  2. Limenet is a company focused on developing technology to store CO₂ through calcium bicarbonates in oceans. Their process involves reacting CO₂ with calcium carbonate using electrical and thermal energy. Limenet explores hybrid plant operation with electricity or biomass, offering solutions for CO₂ storage in various contexts like DAC systems and hard-to-abate industries, contributing to the energy sector's sustainability.

  1. 6. Reefilla- Renewable Energy for Electric Vehicles

     • Headquarters - Turin, Piemonte, Italy
     • Founders - Gabriele Bergoglio, Marco Bevilacqua, Pietro Balda
     • Establishment year - 2021
     • Funding(in USD) - $ 1M
     • Investor/s - CDP Venture Capital, Plug and Play, A11 Venture, Business Angels, Stefano Mezzadri

  

  2. Reefilla presents tailored mobile charging solutions for electric and hybrid vehicles. Their app-based platform offers on-demand delivery services for portable chargers. Fillee, their intelligent portable charger, capable of recharging up to 130 km or about 15 kWh (subject to car and weather conditions). Fillees provide convenient energy refills wherever and whenever needed and offer a unique and cost-efficient charging experience, saving significant CO2 emissions. Reefilla serves the High Tech, Energy Tech, Auto Tech, and Environment Tech market segments.

  1. 7. Renewcast - Wind Power Forecasting Platform

     • Headquarters - Roma, Lazio, Italy
     • Founders - Fabio Nicolò, Ugo Mattoni, Sibgat Ullah
     • Establishment year - 2020
     • Funding(in USD) - $ 919.6K
     • Investor/s - Helen Ventures, MindTitan, Beamline Accelerator, Tech4Planet

  

  2. Renewcast specialises in wind power generation forecasting, offering short term and intra day wind power forecasting services. Utilising an Azure cloud-based platform, Renewcast employs proprietary deep learning models and data pipeline management. Their platform includes features such as proprietary meteo data forecast optimization, turbine data correction and enrichment, and individual digital twin creation for each turbine. Capable of modelling wind and turbine behaviour at every geographical point worldwide, the platform is fully scalable and equipped to support large corporate wind portfolios.

  1. 8. Novac - Advanced Energy Storage Solutions

     • Headquarters - SModena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
     • Founders - Alessandro Fabbri, Matteo Bertocchi, Loris Bruzzi, Aldo Girimonte
     • Establishment year - 2020
     • Funding(in USD) - $ 444.4K
     • Investor/s - LIFTT, Club degli Investitori

  

  2. Novac specialises in solid-state supercapacitors engineered for enhanced safety, flexibility, and performance across wider temperature ranges compared to conventional models. These attributes render them ideal for diverse applications including electric vehicles, drones, e-bikes, scooters, e-boats, and aerospace uses. Novac's supercapacitors improve electric vehicle efficiency by reducing charging times and extending battery life. They also enhance battery performance in drones, e-bikes, and scooters. In aerospace, Novac's supercapacitors excel in extreme temperature and pressure environments, ensuring reliable operation.

  1. 9. Homsai- Residential Energy Efficiency Platform

     • Headquarters - Lucca, Toscana, Italy
     • Founders - Giovanni Tamburini
     • Establishment year - 2022
     • Funding(in USD) - $ 242.1K
     • Investor/s - Digital Magics, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, NovaCapital, Hastega, Gabriele Grassini

  

  2. Homsai introduces a smart home management app tailored for the Energy & Cleantech sector. The platform seamlessly integrates a diverse range of smart devices, such as photovoltaic systems and heat pumps, leveraging AI to optimise energy consumption. This innovative approach fosters efficient energy resource management, aligning with the sector's focus on clean and impactful energy solutions.

  1. 10. Green Independence - Revolutionising renewable energy access with green hydrogen and clean water production

     • Headquarters - Brindisi, Puglia, Italy
     • Founders - Alessandro Monticelli, Marta Pisani
     • Establishment year - 2020
     • Funding(in USD) - NA
     • Investor/s - Plug and Play, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti

  

  2. Green Independence is a pioneering startup committed to democratising renewable energy access with green hydrogen and clean water production. Their innovative technologies support the energy transition, fight against climate change, and pollution reduction. Their innovative Artificial Leaf technology efficiently captures solar energy by directly converting wastewater into Green Hydrogen. Additionally, it has the capability to recycle industrial waste products such as CO2 into solar fuels or valuable commodities offering decentralised production without intermediary buffers like batteries or electrolyzers.

Challenges and Rewards: Launching an Energy Startup in Italy

Promoting innovation in Italy's energy sector has the potential to yield significant benefits, despite possible obstacles along the way. Here's a closer look at the difficulties and benefits of launching an energy startup in Italy.

• Regulatory Obstacles: For energy startups, navigating Italy's complicated regulatory environment can be intimidating. Entrepreneurs need to commit time and resources to ensuring legal compliance, from getting permissions and licenses to adhering to environmental standards.
• Restrictions on Funding: For energy entrepreneurs in Italy, obtaining sufficient capital is frequently a major obstacle. Entrepreneurs who have limited access to traditional financing options and venture capital may need to look into alternative funding sources like government grants, crowdsourcing, or strategic alliances.
• Complexity of Technology: Resources and technological know-how are needed to create and execute novel energy solutions. A talented team and strong R&D capabilities are necessary to overcome technical obstacles pertaining to technology development, integration, and scalability.

The Future of Italian Energy: Trends Shaping the Market

A number of dynamics are reshaping the industry as Italy moves faster to transition to a sustainable energy future. These developments, which range from the quick uptake of renewable energy technology to the development of grid infrastructure and energy storage options, have the potential to completely transform Italy's energy market in the years to come.

• Increased solar photovoltaic (PV) installations are predicted to propel the solar type subsegment to the forefront of the Italian renewable energy industry.
• By 2025, the nation intends to completely phase out coal-fired power. The nation has removed coal and nuclear fuels from its energy mix in order to meet the goals set forth in its national energy policies to minimize carbon emissions. The market for energy derived from renewable sources is anticipated to benefit greatly from the project.
• The European Union's (EU) and Italian government's initiatives to support the production of renewable energy are predicted to significantly expand the market.

Conclusion

Italy's energy sector is witnessing a dynamic shift driven by innovation and disruption. Cleantech startups are at the forefront of this transformation, presenting compelling investment opportunities for those interested in early-stage energy ventures in Italy. With a focus on funding renewable energy innovation, the top 10 early-stage energy startups in Italy are poised to lead the charge towards a greener future. As investors explore Italy's cleantech leaders, they're encouraged to seize the promising prospects and reap the rewards of driving innovation in the energy market.

To explore further insights into such trends and emerging startups, visit Zefyron