Startup idea: A monitoring platform for solar panels and batteries. Would this actually solve a real problem? [I will not promote]
Hey everyone! I'm exploring a startup idea in the solar energy space and would love some honest feedback before building anything. The problem: People and businesses with solar panels and batteries often rely on different apps to monitor their energy production, consumption, and storage. For companies that maintain solar installations, this gets even more complicated. Technicians may need to monitor hundreds of installations across different manufacturers (Huawei, Fronius, SolarEdge, etc.). Sometimes, a solar system starts underperforming without triggering an obvious error. The issue might go unnoticed until the customer complains or someone manually checks the system. The idea: A single platform that connects to existing solar inverters and battery systems and provides: One dashboard to monitor multiple installations, regardless of manufacturer. Automatic detection of unusual drops in solar production. Alerts when something might be wrong, before it becomes a bigger problem. Battery and energy consumption monitoring. Prioritized maintenance alerts so technicians know which installations need attention first. The goal isn't to replace existing hardware or manufacturer apps, but to bring everything together and make maintenance more proactive. I'd love your thoughts: Does this sound like a real problem worth solving, or are existing solutions already good enough? If you work in solar installation or maintenance, how do you currently monitor your systems? Would companies actually pay for something like this? What's the biggest flaw you see in this idea? I'm still at the validation stage, so I'm particularly interested in criticism, not just encouragement. Thanks!