EDINBURGH-based SolarSub Ltd has completed a £1.34 million funding round to accelerate the development and commercialisation of its technology.
Founded by two University of Edinburgh graduates, the company specialises in developing passive cooling solutions for photovoltaic modules.
As solar panels become hotter, they generate less electricity and degrade quicker – SolarSub’s technology is designed to help keep them at their optimal temperature. Requiring no pumps or moving parts, the technology increases energy generation, reduces temperature-driven degradation and improves the long-term economics of solar projects.
The round was led by Sustainable Ventures, with participation from Zinc VC, Scottish Enterprise, Old College Capital – the University of Edinburgh’s venture investment fund, SFC Capital, and the British Business Bank, alongside support from Innovate UK’s Investor Partnership programme.
The funding will support the next phase of SolarSub’s technical development and real-world validation programme – including further product development, independent testing, and deployments with research, utility and industry partners.
Over the coming months, SolarSub will undertake trials across multiple international locations as it works towards commercial-scale deployment. Previous testing has demonstrated significant performance improvements under high-temperature conditions.
Trials at the University of Edinburgh’s FloWave ocean energy research facility recorded an energy uplift of up to 17.5%, while outdoor testing at Heriot-Watt University’s Dubai campus recorded peak gains of up to 19%.
Sebastiaan Schalkwijk, CEO and co-founder of SolarSub, said, “I’d like to thank all of our investors and supporters for backing us as we move into the next stage of SolarSub’s development. It’s been great to see the technology progress from the early days of research at the University of Edinburgh to the point where we’re now preparing for larger-scale trials and commercial deployment.”
James Taylor, co-founder and COO of SolarSub, added,“I am immensely proud of the team in getting to this point. This investment allows us to move from successful technical validation into the next stage of real-world deployment. Our focus will now shift to demonstrating the technology at increasing scale and building out our commercial adoption with industry partners.”
Joshua Armistead-Wood, investor at Sustainable Ventures, commented, “The challenge of energy generation is one that, unsurprisingly, remains at the top of our agenda, particularly at a time of increasing price volatility. The solution the SolarSub team is developing stood out to us because, instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, they are focused on one simple root of inefficiency within existing solar systems: excess heat. We have been impressed by what the team has achieved to date and are excited to work with them as they deliver the next stage.”
Derek Shaw, director company funding & investment at Scottish Enterprise, said, “Our investment in SolarSub Ltd underscores our commitment to creating an internationally competitive energy transition industry in Scotland. By supporting ambitious companies in areas such as clean energy technology, we can help them drive innovation and capitalise on the significant economic opportunities linked to the shift from the production and consumption of fossil fuels to sources of renewable energy.”
