Karolina Attspodina, Co-founder of We Do Solar
Karolina Attspodina
Karolina Attspodina, Co-founder of We Do Solar, is a Ukrainian entrepreneur based in Berlin. She is on a mission to make home grown solar energy available and accessible for everyone – whether you rent or you own a home.
“The startup is focused on giving access to renewable energy for everyone.
“When I came up with the idea, I just felt it was really unfair that everyone who has their own home or can afford to buy their own home has access to renewables and people that live in apartments or rent their own place don’t have the opportunity,” says Attspodina.
“So everything was built around the idea of giving access to renewables to everyone who wants to have it in their home. And a lot of people right now, especially with the war, want to be more independent and want to create and generate their own electricity.”
The We Do Solar kit offers affordable solar panels that can be easily installed on a balcony, “they’re super lightweight and thin and they’re easy to install. We have an app where you see how much CO2 you’re saving and how much electricity you’re producing,” Attspodina explains.
We Do Solar launched in February 2022, “it was a complete coincidence that the war broke out at the same time,” says Attspodina, “it definitely was a super hard time because I also have family, and a lot of friends in Ukraine. I was going to the borders, picking people up, developing my product, talking to investors, and it was just a completely crazy time. But now it’s a bit easier because I know that everyone is at least safe,” says Attspodina.
When energy prices surged in March after Russia’s invasion of her home country, We Do Solar sales jumped by 70%: “There is huge demand for the product, and of course, when the war broke out, our demand went up. Right now, we’re shipping to 24 countries in Europe and we will have the UK on that list very soon,” says Attspodina.
“Everyone really wants to do their part to actually participate and make sure that we get off fossil fuels, and especially that we get off fossil fuels that are bought somewhere else.”
In a year of sky-high energy prices, solar power has seen remarkable growth across Europe and already delivered significant cost-savings for European consumers.
Use of solar power in Europe nearly doubled in 2022, according to industry group SolarPower Europe.
The EU installed 47% more solar in 2022 compared to 2021 – enough to power 12.4 million homes. Euronews reports that the bloc’s capacity to generate solar increased by 25% overall in 2022.
Rapid growth of solar installation across Europe is set to continue into 2023 and beyond with the race to shore up …….