image: RAZO Energy contributes to an optimum use of renewable energies, minimizing overall electricity costs, and, at the same time, stabilizing the power grid.
Credit: Sandra Goettisheim
The increasing electrification of the energy sector is only changing the way we generate energy, but also how we use it. Many homeowners, however, are not able to leverage the full potential of their photovoltaic systems and battery storage units – often due to inadequate control functionality. “Many systems can't be networked as intelligently as their manufacturers promise. Moreover, the existing solutions are often too complicated or don't allow users to control their energy consumption efficiently,” says Max Schütze, one of the founders of RAZO Energy. To change this, the start-up developed a cloud-based platform that coordinates various energy sources and electrical consumers in an automated way. “Our system enables a dynamic adjustment of the energy flow and ensures the efficient use of renewables,” says Schütze. This means that electric vehicles, for example, are charged primarily at times when sufficient solar power is available or grid power is cheapest.
Artificial Intelligence Enables Complex Forecasts
Thanks to RAZO Energy’s intelligent charging management, noticeable cost savings are possible. For example, e-vehicle users were able to reduce their cost per hundred kilometers from around six euros to an average of only two euros – determined by comparing controlled and uncontrolled charging. The system is based on a mathematical optimization model that uses artificial intelligence. “If the goal is, for example, to optimize the use of electric vehicles, real-time measurement data is combined with photovoltaic forecasts to determine the best possible charging profile,” says Schütze. “The dynamic control avoids load peaks and shifts the charging process of the electric vehicle or the battery storage unit to favorable times when electricity is cheap or abundant from renewable sources.”
Contribution to Energy Transition and Grid Stability
RAZO Energy’s intelligent control not only enables cost savings for individual households, but also has a broader effect: It helps to keep the power grid stable. The system coordinates consumption and generation of energy in an optimum way and thus reduces load peaks – for example, when many households are charging their battery storage units or electric vehicles at the same time. “Interconnecting many households enables us not only to reduce individual costs, but also to balance power-supply variations,” explains Schütze. This creates flexible loads that can be controlled like a virtual power plant: Excess solar power is used selectively instead of burdening the power mains, and appliances that consume a lot of energy preferably run while renewable energy is abundant. This way, RAZO Energy not only boosts a better use of renewable energies, but also contributes to the stability of the entire energy infrastructure.
RAZO Energy at Hannover Messe 2025
The RAZO Energy start-up will present its solution at the KIT booth in the “Energy Solutions” area of Hannover Messe from March 31 to April 4, 2025 (Hall 13, Booth C76).
About RAZO Energy
RAZO Energy was launched in January 2024 as an instrument for overcoming the challenges of energy transition at KIT. With the easily accessible app, the intelligent energy management system, and the combination of different use cases, the project lays the foundation for a sustainable and future-oriented energy infrastructure. The founders are currently working on a pilot project for a virtual power plant.
More about the KIT Energy Center
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.