Voltiris

This interview details Voltiris, an indoor farming technology company based in Switzerland. The interview is with Nicolas Weber, CEO of Voltiris.

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What is the origin story of Voltiris?

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The initial idea behind Voltiris comes from our Co-Founder Jonas Roch, who is an expert with a PhD in Spectroscopy. He had this insightful thought: since crops only utilize a part of the light spectrum for photosynthesis, why not harness the rest for energy production?

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We started to collaborate on Voltiris based on this idea. When Dominik Blaser, our third Co-Founder, came on board with his expertise in mechanical engineering, we were able to develop our first prototype. This prototype, which was continuously improved based on feedback from greenhouse operators, eventually evolved into the Voltiris solution as it exists today.

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What are some of the biggest challenges facing Voltiris in the future?

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Looking into the future, one of our most pressing challenges is to build and maintain a strong company culture, especially as we are growing rapidly. In just the past half-year, we have expanded our team with more than 10 new members. It's vital for us to ensure that all our team members are aligned with our core mission of enhancing the sustainability of food systems. Operationally, we're facing the challenge of managing an increasing number of projects internationally, particularly in countries like France and the Netherlands, while our main team is based in Switzerland.

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This requires us to find dependable partners for project implementation. Another strategic challenge is to identify and focus on specific regions where our technology can have the most significant impact, which might mean declining opportunities in areas outside our key markets.

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What is unique about Voltiris compared to competitors?

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In the specialized market of solar solutions for high-tech greenhouses, Voltiris uniquely offers a system that efficiently generates solar energy without negatively impacting crop yields. Our patented solution involves a spectral filtering technique, which allows the necessary wavelengths for plant photosynthesis to pass through, while converting the rest into solar energy.

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This capability to avoid shading is a critical advantage we hold over our competitors. Furthermore, our solution, unlike others that replace traditional greenhouse roofs with semi-transparent solar PVs, is designed to be integrated within the greenhouse. This design not only facilitates retrofitting but also eliminates the need for building permits and extensive structural modifications.

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What are some other relevant metrics of the company (growing area size, production quantity, team size, etc.)?

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From a commercial standpoint, our primary focus is on the number of projects in our people that are at a ready-to-build stage. As we are currently in a phase of scaling up our project sizes, it's crucial for us to have a robust pipeline of projects ready for installation in the coming months. On the operational front, we closely monitor the total duration of our projects, from the initial feasibility studies to the commencement of electricity generation.

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We aim to optimize this timeline by forming strong partnerships with leading energy providers and installers and by utilizing proprietary tools for efficient feasibility studies. On the cultural side of things, we are keenly focused on our team's satisfaction, regularly engaging in one-on-one feedback sessions and implementing company-wide feedback mechanisms.

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What are some goals in 2024 and beyond for Voltiris?

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As we look towards 2024, we have set three main goals. First, we aim to undertake a large-scale project, installing over 2000 modules in a greenhouse, either for tomatoes or flowers. This will be a significant step in demonstrating our operational capacity to manage projects at the hectare scale. Concurrently, we plan to execute multiple smaller projects in collaboration with various key opinion leaders. These projects will continue to demonstrate the benefits of our solution in different geographical regions and with various types of crops.

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Additionally, we are looking to forge more partnerships with energy providers and solar project developers across Europe and globally. We already have two such partners in Switzerland and Europe and aim to expand our network further. In the medium term, our goal at Voltiris is to become the leading partner for growers in their journey toward energy transition, providing a comprehensive portfolio of decarbonization solutions beyond just our solar modules.

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How can people connect with you or learn more about Voltiris?

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We are always eager to engage with individuals who have a genuine interest in our solution, be they growers, prospective employees, investors, or simply curious minds. You can stay updated by following our active LinkedIn page. Our website also offers detailed information about our technology and the projects we have undertaken. For any direct inquiries, please feel free to email me at nicolas.weber@voltiris.com or connect with me on LinkedIn. I am always available to answer any questions and discuss potential collaborations!

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