New era renewable energy business Synth Solar is generating stellar growth as it introduces smart tech and reliable services that keep customers supported and in control. Founded last year by first time entrepreneurs Max Lines and Tom Elvidge the company with a team of six designs, installs and monitors green systems for UK homes and businesses. Now a trusted partner of leading supplier Octopus Energy that has further cemented its reputation for competence in a sector which, despite regulatory safeguards, still harbours a patchy record for high standards and consumer fair play.
This year Synth, which holds MCS quality and safety assurance accreditation, is forecasting a £1million turnover and £8million in 2027 based on its current install pipeline and regional expansion plan. It’s a position that after bootstrapping the operation makes Lines and Elvidge ready to consider external investment. With £400,000 to £500,000 in mind this would go towards doubling staff numbers and further building the tech. “We would welcome strategic investors, angels or a technology company that know about solar and are aligned with our mission,” confirm the pair.
They became friends while working together scaling tech operations at Uber and say “we saw how software could transform broken industries slow to respond to changing times”.
For energy those were prices rising because of the Ukraine invasion, people’s environmental concerns, no VAT on domestic installations and technology advances lowering hardware costs. “We believed the same tech start up efficiency approach was needed for solar,” they explain, “so fast response times, beautiful tools, customised videos, clear communication and registration documents and a relentless focus on improvement. We’re reinventing a traditional industry bringing software discipline to field execution and we will stay with a customer for as long as the panels last, so 25 years plus.”
Sourcing the best accredited and guaranteed equipment via wholesalers, Synth’s crown jewels are its apps, developed in-house. The SunMapper quoting tool uses satellite imagery and weather data to generate instant solar designs and pricing for any rooftop. Unlike some contractors, Synth makes no difference in price about installing on slate surfaces.The company’s optimising SunDial live performance dashboard is updated every few minutes showing customers how exactly their system is producing and saving energy. This enables Synth to fix any problem as soon as possible. “We can spot trouble before our clients,” says Elvidge. “Property owners get the best experience with our solar and batteries so they save the most money and carbon, we sweat our systems,” adds Lines.
New forecasting tech coming soon will guide customers as to when it’s best value to charge the system or export power back to the grid.Domestic fits can take just a couple of days with bird mesh protection included. Recent commercial expansion includes installations for farms, transport depots and small businesses. Zero-emission bus company Ember was able to scale its fleet charging capacity after a deal was brokered with a neighbouring storage company whose roof now hosts Synth’s panels. “The creative tech mindset was applied very successfully,” observes Lines.
“Tech is an industry built on collaboration. Over time we want Synth to be the go-to platform for home energy transformation and full electrification. Solar is just the first step.https://synth.solar/
