Two-year-old Monalee has developed an online platform for American homeowners looking to purchase solar PV and storage systems. The software enables the process from quotations to financing, installation and after-sales support.
Monalee, a US-based software company serving the consumer solar market, has developed a web-based platform to enable investments in residential rooftop PV and related home energy systems.
The software provides estimates, quotes, financing, permitting, installation and interconnection services after the homeowner enters their address, current bill and choice of PV or battery, or both. It also calculates savings, a subsidy or credit calculator and after-sales support via an app.
“Ordering and completing solar purchases should be done online because that is what consumers want. They are used to it, even for major purchases like buying a car,” said Walid Halty, CEO and co-founder of Monalee. pv magazineadding that the challenge with solar is the need for site visits to develop the project.
Monalee solved the site visit challenge by using data and images from Google Maps’ Geographic Information System (GIS) through an application programming interface (API) known as Solar API.
“But the Solar API covered only half of the US,” says Halty, describing how the company worked with Earth imaging specialists who provided photogrammetry LIDAR and drone imagery data for broader coverage.
Deep learning techniques have been applied to allow the software to detect eaves or identify building features such as a chimney or air conditioning units, for example.
Monalee is a licensed general contractor and master electrician in 24 U.S. states. It works with small to medium-sized installers as subcontractors, as well as other partners, such as equipment suppliers and financial services providers, to deliver the services sold through the platform, according to Halty, who said the company has served 1,900 homeowners since its inception has served. in 2022. He attributes this to the service being “less time-consuming” and “more economical” compared to conventional methods.
Offering lower prices has led to some unexpected results. “We were surprised to see demand in parts of the country such as Georgia, Alabama and Kentucky, which typically are not major markets for solar due to lower electricity prices. The largest market by volume is, as expected, Florida and California,” Halty said.
Monalee has raised a total of $10 million in venture capital, with the most recent round closing in March 2024. The company has plans to expand to 35 states this year.
This content is copyrighted and may not be reused. If you would like to collaborate with us and reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
