The startup, with more than ten years of research, already has an international presence.
eRoots, one of the startups participating in the second edition of ERIA’s acceleration program, is revolutionizing the way electricity grids are planned and operated. With more than a decade of applied research, more than one million downloads and presence in international projects, this startup is positioned as a key player in the digitization of the electricity system.
eRoots is a spinoff from the CITCEA research group at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) that was created with the intention of solving structural problems affecting the electricity system. Josep Fanals, founder and CEO of the startup, assures that the generation, transmission and distribution segments of electric power have room for improvement. “They are often poorly digitized, rely on archaic solutions, use poorly optimized algorithms, and have little visibility of the grid,” he says. This combination, Fanals warns, “leads to suboptimal operation and planning.”
eRoots’ proposal consists of the development of software solutions capable of meeting these needs: from microsecond-scale analysis to the planning of entire countries in years ahead. Its technology has already been embodied in tools such as GridCal, GSLV and eRoots Map, and has two European patents.
The distribution challenge posed by ERIA – autonomous grid operation with artificial intelligence – is a perfect fit with eRoots’ technological capabilities. ERIA’s acceleration program is a great opportunity to demonstrate how its solutions can optimize power system operation, streamline operators’ workflows and improve the analysis of complex grids in a context of increasing renewable energy penetration.
Strategic transformation phase
Headquartered in Barcelona and with a team of twenty people, the company is currently at a turning point. After having an accumulated turnover of more than 1.5 million euros since inception, and having raised close to 1.8 million euros in public funding, “we are in a good position to push our business model towards a more recurring turnover through the sale of licenses and a SaaS-type platform,” says Josep Fanals.
Until now, most of the turnover has come from the sale of professional services, although always linked to software. However, eRoots is convinced that the time has come to prioritize the consolidation of a portfolio with a greater focus on software.
About his experience in ERIA’s acceleration program, Fanals highlights the value of being able to work in collaboration with a large electricity distributor. “It’s a very good opportunity to understand first-hand the needs of a distribution company like Estabanell,” he says. He adds that, while they have worked primarily with transmission companies so far, “we believe our solutions can provide value to Estabanell, so we want to explore it with them.”
