hellgrün
hellgrün energie GmbH is a Cologne-based green-tech company (founded 2023) that finances, installs, and operates photovoltaic systems on commercial rooftops in Germany, serving commercial property owners (via roof leasing), commercial tenants (via on-site electricity supply), and private investors (via turnkey PV asset purchases through an online marketplace).
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersCologne, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What hellgrün does
hellgrün energie GmbH is a Cologne-based green-tech company founded in 2023 that develops, finances, installs, and operates photovoltaic (PV) systems on commercial rooftops and open spaces across Germany. Its core offering is an integrated, all-in-one PV solution covering planning, financing, construction, and ongoing operations management, delivered through a three-sided commercial model: commercial property owners lease their rooftops to hellgrün under 20–30 year Dachpacht agreements; the firm installs the panels and sells the generated electricity directly to the on-site commercial tenants at up to 40% below grid rates; and private investors purchase turnkey PV assets through the company's online Marktplatz, with hellgrün retaining operations responsibility via a separate Bewirtschaftungsvertrag (management contract) that includes a 10% revenue share. Investors are offered IRRs up to 10% on rooftop assets and up to 10.4%–13.2% on Freiflächen-PV projects, with tax optimization available through the German Investitionsabzugbetrag (IAB).
The company's go-to-market is sales-led and consultative: a dedicated sales team (including CEO Lucas Josten and Senior Sales Manager Stefanie Härpfer) engages enterprise property owners and tenants directly, supported by a self-serve investor marketplace and SEO-optimized content marketing through the company's PV-Magazin blog and LinkedIn presence. hellgrün has secured a roster of enterprise customers including Woolworth, dm-drogerie markt, Jysk, C&A, Würth, Piepenbrock, Trinkgut, Apleona, real estate investor Jamestown, and local government entity Kreis Unna. The platform combines a digital marketplace (listing 65–382 kWp projects with detailed IRR, pricing, and commissioning data) with traditional project development, installation, and long-term asset management.
hellgrün has raised approximately €1.5 million across a €500,000 pre-seed round (June 2024) and a €1 million financing facility from Saxovent (January 2026), with Saxovent positioned as a long-term strategic partner aligned on a 100 MW capacity goal by 2030. The firm has additionally entered a cooperation with Lichtblick Energy to scale commercial rooftop installations, and operates from Cologne headquarters and a Berlin office. The team of approximately 11 visible members includes three co-founder Managing Directors (Roman Steigertahl, Operations; Wenzel Gerstner, Product; Lucas Josten, Sales) collectively bringing 90+ years of energy-sector experience.
hellgrün firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- hellgrün
- Legal name
- hellgrün energie GmbH
- Website
- https://hellgruen.solar
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- hellgrün energie GmbH is a Cologne-based green-tech company (founded 2023) that finances, installs, and operates photovoltaic systems on commercial rooftops in Germany, serving commercial property owners (via roof leasing), commercial tenants (via on-site electricity supply), and private investors (via turnkey PV asset purchases through an online marketplace).
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
hellgrün industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Photovoltaic Services
- NAICS
- Solar Electric Power Generation (221114), Electric Power Generation (22111)
- SIC
- Electric Services (4911), Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Solar Roofing & Roof-Mounted PV Systems (IMADAFAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Solar EPC & Construction (Utility-Scale, Rooftop, Balance of System) (EUAMABAB), Solar Financing, Leasing & Ownership Platforms (Tax Equity, PPA, Securitization) (EUAMABAJ), Distributed Generation (DG) Solar & Small Wind (EUAMAJAD)
Keywords
Where hellgrün is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cologne
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
hellgrün business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Roof Leasing / Pacht: hellgrün leases commercial rooftops from property owners, installs PV panels, and sells the generated electricity directly to tenants. Property owners receive monthly or annual roof rent (Dachpacht) over contract terms of typically 20-30 years. hellgrün retains revenue from electricity sales to tenants.
- PV Asset Sales to Investors: hellgrün develops and constructs turnkey PV systems which are then sold to private investors (asset deal). The investor becomes sole owner of the installation, while hellgrün retains operations and management responsibility via a separate Bewirtschaftungsvertrag (management contract). hellgrün charges a 10% revenue share from annual electricity sales for operations management.
- Saxovent Financing: Saxovent provided a €1 million financing facility to hellgrün to accelerate pipeline expansion for solar installations on commercial rooftops. This represents a financial partnership generating deployment capacity.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Freiflächenprojekt Ensfeld: 382 kWp open-space PV project, expected IRR 10.4%, price per unit €385,354 |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Annual | PV Investments for private investors: up to 10% IRR, tax benefits through Investitionsabzugbetrag (IAB) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
hellgrün product offering
Product offeringCore offering
hellgrün plans, finances, builds, and operates photovoltaic (PV) systems on commercial rooftops and open spaces across Germany. Property owners lease their rooftop space in exchange for rent (Dachpacht) and reduced electricity costs for tenants; commercial tenants purchase on-site solar electricity at up to 40% below grid rates; and private investors acquire turnkey PV installations with returns up to 10% IRR and tax benefits via the Investitionsabzugbetrag (IAB).
Product overview
hellgrün offers a unified all-in-one photovoltaic (PV) solution for commercial real estate that encompasses planning, financing, construction, and operation of solar installations. The product portfolio centers on three core offerings: (1) Photovoltaik-Investment for private investors seeking returns up to 10% with tax benefits via the Investment Abzugbetrag (IAB); (2) Dachflächen-Verpachtung for property owners who lease their rooftops in exchange for rental income, reduced electricity costs, and ESG compliance; and (3) Gewerbestrom for commercial tenants supplying green electricity directly from on-site PV at up to 40% savings. Additionally, hellgrün operates a Marktplatz platform listing specific PV installations (Freiflächen-PV projects and rooftop systems) available for investment, with capacities ranging from 65 kWp to 382 kWp and expected IRRs between 6.2% and 13.2%.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Dachflächen-Verpachtung (Commercial Rooftop Leasing)
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 40% reduction in electricity costs for commercial tenants compared to grid rates
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use hellgrün
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
hellgrün technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
hellgrün partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Lichtblick EnergycoreLichtblick Energy and hellgrün entered into a cooperation to increase photovoltaic installations on commercial rooftops. Lichtblick provides energy-as-a-service capabilities while hellgrün contributes its commercial rooftop PV development and operations expertise. The partnership aims to expand the deployment of solar on commercial rooftops.
- JamestownminorJamestown, a real estate investment company, partnered with hellgrün to install a PV system at its Schanzenstraße property in Köln. Jamestown leases its rooftop to hellgrün and benefits from roof rent revenue and ESG improvements.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
hellgrün competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Enpal: Enpal is a leading German solar leasing company offering rooftop PV systems to residential and commercial customers with similar no-upfront-cost, long-term contract economics. It is the closest direct competitor to hellgrün in the German PV-as-a-service category, although it leans more residential.
- 1Komma5°: 1Komma5° is one of Germany's largest green-tech platforms bundling rooftop solar, heat pumps, EV charging, and electricity into a single subscription, directly competing with hellgrün's integrated rooftop PV + green electricity proposition for commercial and residential customers.
Broad incumbents
- Lichtblick: Lichtblick is a large German green-energy supplier and energy-as-a-service provider that already cooperates with hellgrün on commercial rooftop PV. It overlaps in the same commercial-rooftop PV space but operates a much broader portfolio of energy products beyond solar.
- Solarwatt: Solarwatt is a long-established German premium PV manufacturer and installer offering rooftop solar systems, storage, and energy management to commercial and residential customers, overlapping with hellgrün on commercial rooftop installations and the broader German PV market.
- E.ON: E.ON is one of Germany's largest energy utilities, with significant commercial rooftop solar, distributed generation, and energy-as-a-service offerings. It competes for the same enterprise and commercial-property customers that hellgrün serves, but as part of a much broader portfolio.
- EnBW: EnBW is a major German integrated energy company with growing commercial rooftop PV and renewable-energy operations across Germany, comparable to hellgrün on the commercial rooftop customer segment but at vastly larger scale.
- RWE: RWE is a major European utility with a significant German rooftop and utility-scale solar portfolio. While primarily utility-scale, its commercial and industrial solar offerings overlap with hellgrün's target market of large commercial property owners.
Emerging players
- Zolar: Zolar runs an online marketplace for residential solar in Germany, with tools for planning, financing, and installer matching. While focused more on residential than hellgrün's commercial rooftop niche, it competes for German solar demand and investor attention.
- Next Kraftwerke: Next Kraftwerke is a German virtual power plant operator and distributed renewable energy aggregator, relevant to hellgrün as an adjacent player monetizing German distributed solar assets and providing market access for behind-the-meter PV generation.
Regional players
- EWE: EWE is a regional German energy utility with strong positions in northern and western Germany, offering commercial rooftop solar and energy services that overlap with hellgrün's commercial PV offering, particularly for German retail and SME property owners.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
hellgrün social profiles
Digital presencehellgrün financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
hellgrün leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
hellgrün funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
hellgrün M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about hellgrün
What does hellgrün do?
hellgrün plans, finances, builds, and operates photovoltaic (PV) systems on commercial rooftops and open spaces across Germany. Property owners lease their rooftop space in exchange for rent (Dachpacht) and reduced electricity costs for tenants; commercial tenants purchase on-site solar electricity at up to 40% below grid rates; and private investors acquire turnkey PV installations with returns up to 10% IRR and tax benefits via the Investitionsabzugbetrag (IAB).
Is hellgrün a public or private company?
hellgrün is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was hellgrün founded?
hellgrün was founded in 2023. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is hellgrün based?
hellgrün is headquartered in Cologne, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does hellgrün make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Roof Leasing / Pacht is the primary driver. The others are PV Asset Sales to Investors and saxovent Financing.
Who are hellgrün's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Enpal and 1Komma5°. Broad incumbents are Lichtblick, Solarwatt, E.ON, EnBW and RWE. Emerging players are Zolar and Next Kraftwerke. EWE is listed as a regional player.
Does hellgrün have an API?
No public API is recorded for hellgrün.
What industry is hellgrün in?
hellgrün's product category is Commercial Photovoltaic Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMADAFAO, Solar Roofing & Roof-Mounted PV Systems, with a secondary code of EUAMABAB, Solar EPC & Construction (Utility-Scale, Rooftop, Balance of System). Its NAICS code is 221114 and its SIC code is 4911.