CEO Han said, “Our goal is to provide a smart inverter and diagnostic system combining power electronics and artificial intelligence technology that is optimized for the era of distributed energy.”
The company's main product is a 450 W single-stage microinverter and edge AI-based anomaly diagnostic system for solar power facilities. It features an E-capless circuit structure with no electrolytic capacitor, a PLC communication feature, and early fault diagnosis and predictive maintenance algorithms, making it optimized for small distributed solar power systems. It has completed product development and pilot testing, and the company is currently preparing for mass production.
“By removing the electrolytic capacitor, we have improved the lifespan. It can predict faults and detect anomalies early using our proprietary AI algorithms. PLC communication enables central management with no need for additional wiring, which also reduces installation costs. Compared to existing global products, it offers superior efficiency, stability, and ease of maintenance.”
Data to energy is prioritizing domestic implementation in the public sector and industrial complexes in collaboration with KEPCO KDN, and plans to integrate its solution with the distributed energy demonstration projects of local governments in Jeollanam-do, Gwangju Metropolitan City, and elsewhere. For its global expansion, the company is engaged in pre-marketing aimed at the American solar energy market, and as a result, has already signed a letter of intent with an American supplier of solar inverters.
Data to energy attracted pre-seed investment in 2024 and is currently taking part in TIPS projects. To secure follow-up funding, the company is producing investor relations material and refining its business model, and it is aiming for a pre-A investment round in the first half of 2025.
What made CEO Han decide to start a new company? “As a patent attorney, I have experience analyzing various patents and evaluating the excellence of technology. This has been a big help when it comes to grasping the potential of startups. I also worked at a business accelerator, and my experience observing the startup growth process directly has given me a good understanding of all the steps involved in bringing a technology to market. During this time, I learned about Kookmin University's single-stage microinverter technology, and I judged its technological excellence and potential for market growth to be very high. So I decided to launch a startup. I prepared the initial funding through personal capital and government R&D projects.”
Following the launch of the startup, CEO Han said, “When we applied the technology to actual solar power plants, collected data, and were able to detect faults in advance, I could see how this simple idea was able to solve real-world problems. That gave me a real sense of pride,” and added, “Watching our product continuously evolve based on technological feedback is also a major source of motivation.”
Data to energy has seven employees, including specialists in circuit design and firmware, an AI developer, and a business strategist, all with extensive experience in their field. All of them are putting their technological expertise and execution capabilities to work on rapid productization.
Regarding future plans, CEO Han said, “In the short term, we want to establish a basis for entering the domestic and international markets by acquiring KC and UL certification for our 450 W microinverter,” and added, “In particular, UL certification will allow us to enter the U.S. residential solar market formally.”
“For this, we are simultaneously establishing a mass production system and performing field testing. In the medium- to long-term, we plan to expand our AI-based power diagnostic and control solution to the global distributed energy market, including the United States and Europe. Ultimately, we hope to expand our business area beyond inverter units to a smart O&M (operation and maintenance) platform.”
Date of Establishment: April 2024
Main Business: Microinverters
Performance: Attracted investment (KMU Holdings, KRW 100 million), won a contract through the TIPS program, certified as a Venture Company, registered as a Research Institute Spin-off Company, registered as a Corporate Research Institute
reporter jinho lee
jinho2323@hankyung.com
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