Espace partenaire
Faire entrer le soleil dans les foyers
(Original text in English below) Depuis les bureaux de l’incubateur de l’Université du Luxembourg, Sasan Rafii-Tabrizi et Sebastian Latz développent leur start-up Letz Green Renewables. Passionnés de randonnée et de vélo, ils ont à cœur de préserver la nature et ses ressources épuisables. Avec Letz Green Renewables, leur ambition est de faire augmenter la part d’électricité issue de l’énergie solaire et de se créer ainsi une place en tant qu’acteurs de la transition énergétique, au Luxembourg et en Grande Région. À l’heure actuelle, les propriétaires privés peuvent faire appel à leurs solutions d’approvisionnement, qui seront ultérieurement également proposées aux entreprises.
Sasan Rafii-Trabrizi a répondu aux questions d’Infogreen, en anglais :
Let’s talk a bit about you and your partner. What are your backgrounds ?
I’ve always had a fascination with technology and systems, dating back to my childhood. When I was three years old and obsessed with my Legos, my parents jokingly predicted that I would become an engineer — and they were right. After studying engineering in Germany and France, I returned to my home country Luxembourg and acquired my Ph.D. in Energy Systems Management for Buildings at Uni.lu, where I met my now very close friend and co-founder Sebastian Latz, who is doing a Ph.D. in Building physics and energy efficiency. We shared similar interests and were just an instant match. Aside from our academic pursuits, we both had a passion for outdoor activities like cycling and hiking and were very in tune with nature.
How did you come up with the idea ?
As scientists in this field and just as people with common sense, we are fully conscious of the dangers of climate change and the enormous challenge that our society is currently facing. Especially in Luxembourg, electricity from renewable sources is alarmingly low, lagging far behind the European average. With the skills and knowledge that we bring to the table, we felt compelled to act. We want to be part of the energy transition and not just observe it from our desks.
Explain to me how your business works
With Letz Green Renewables, we enable regular Luxembourgish households to participate in the green energy transition. From solar panels and household battery storage to wall boxes for charging electric vehicles, we provide integrated solar energy solutions with a focus on in-house consumption. The electricity consumption and production can then be comfortably monitored in real-time on a smartphone.
Many people are surprised to learn that, thanks to rapid advances in technology and efficiency in recent years, as well as generous Luxembourgish state subsidies, households can now save a significant amount of money by producing their own electricity and becoming self-sufficient rather than relying on the common electricity grid (not even taking into account price inflation) - whilst significantly contributing to climate protection.
Who is your target clientele ?
Our current clientele consists primarily of Luxemburgish and German homeowners. We will also supply solar energy solutions to businesses in the future.
Have you ever thought of expanding beyond Luxembourg’s borders ?
We want to see change, and we believe that in Luxembourg, we can have the biggest impact. The government provides financial help to its residents, there is a qualified talent pool, and the need is there. Nevertheless, we also offer our services in the Greater Region. The energy problem knows no national borders, and we want to contribute our best to be part of the solution.
Do you have other projects in mind ?
Next year, we will include heat pumps to our product assortment to provide homeowners with the possibility to be completely self-reliant and no longer be dependent on gas.
