Solar & Storage Live Zürich, Solar&StorageXtra had the pleasure of meeting Sandra Trittin, Co-Founder and CGO of Beebop.
Sandra discussed Beebop’s mission to help consumers save up to 50% on their energy costs, the importance of flexibility in energy efficiency, and any regulations she sees impacting the industry.
Interview with Sandra Trittin, Co-Founder and CGO of Beebop
“From a technology perspective, we’re well-equipped. The challenge now is twofold: financing these investments and making them accessible to everyone.”
Xtra: Can you explain Beebop’s mission in the industry?
Sandra: At Beebop, our mission is to connect consumer electrical devices to the energy system. By doing this, consumers can save up to 50% on their energy costs. Additionally, they will reduce CO₂ emissions – potentially saving up to 1bn tons of CO₂ annually once we scale to a certain number of connected homes.
Xtra: Can you talk to us about your presentation?
Sandra: I gave a presentation about flexibility (at Solar & Storage Live Zürich), which is a major topic right now. Everyone is discussing flexibility – whether using flexibility as a business model is complex or easy.
On one side, energy flexibility means taking control of devices, such as heat pumps, storage systems, or chargers, and shifting their consumption or production to more favourable times. That’s the definition of energy flexibility.
The question then becomes: how do we monetise it?
First, you need to connect to the device – that’s step one. Step two is understanding how the device normally behaves and what it’s typically doing. For example, this could be a heat pump or a storage system in your home.
Finally, you need to aggregate thousands of these assets into one unit and bring them to trading markets. Traders are used to dealing with large units – like a gas or hydropower station, for instance – but not with thousands of smaller, individual units. That’s where Beebop comes in.
We aggregate these single units into one entity. This aggregated entity can then be presented in trading markets and operated like a standard power station. This is called a virtual power plant.
Xtra: What regulatory or market challenges do you foresee impacting the energy industry, especially solar?
Sandra: Regulations play a significant role here. On one hand, they directly impact consumers.
For instance, in Switzerland, market opening – or the lack thereof – and subsidy programs supporting distributed energy resources like heat pumps and storage systems are examples of this impact.
Solutions like Beebop, TECO, or Radix are heavily influenced by regulations regarding market access for virtual power plants.
Historically, regulations are designed for traditional gas or hydropower stations, not for systems composed of thousands of smaller units. This discrepancy creates difficulties, but it’s manageable!
Xtra: How should the energy industry tackle the challenges posed by energy transition?
Sandra: One major challenge is pre-financing devices for consumers. For instance, storage systems cost around €10,000, and heat pumps can cost €30,000 or more depending on the type. Not everyone can afford to put that much money on the table up front.
From a technology perspective, we’re well-equipped. The challenge now is twofold: financing these investments and making them accessible to everyone. Otherwise, we risk excluding large groups of people from the energy transition.
The last challenge is execution efficiency, given the scarcity of installers. For example, I had to wait nine months to have a heat pump installed – not because of the unit itself, but due to the lack of available installers.
We need to find ways to make the execution process as efficient as possible.
Xtra: What benefits can companies gain from attending Solar & Storage Live?
Sandra: First and foremost, it’s about collaboration. This means exchanging ideas within the industry, staying updated on developments, understanding competitors’ and potential partners’ focuses, and building partnerships to tackle the energy transition together.
None of us can do this alone; it’s only possible if we work together. I believe we’re in the right environment here to foster these partnerships.
Missed out on Solar & Storage Live, or want to come back for more? Don’t miss the London edition from 2-3 April 2025 – or find a Solar & Storage Live event closer to home.
