Sunoptimo

What Sunoptimo does

Sunoptimo Energie SRL is a Belgian designer and manufacturer of large-scale solar thermal systems, founded in December 2011 and headquartered in Naninne (Namur), Belgium. The company specializes in containerized, factory-pre-assembled solar thermal kits built around its proprietary drainback (autovidange) technology, which empties collectors by gravity when the circulation pump stops, eliminating overheating and freezing risks without pressurized glycol circuits. Its core products are the Opticube Standard — a 20-foot maritime container kit integrating hydraulic components, drainback station, storage tanks, and controls for solar fields of 30–300 m² — and the Opticube Field, a 40-foot turnkey heating station for district heating networks and large industrial solar fields from 800 to 30,000 m². A full component ecosystem (Optisun 245 collectors, Optifix mounting systems, Optiflow drainback stations, Optitank storage, Optismart controllers, Optiaqua DHW stations, Optiplate heat exchangers) supports these flagship products, all unified by the Dimensionnement Optimum proprietary sizing method.

Sunoptimo serves large hot water and process heat consumers across collective housing, industrial facilities (notably the Boortmalt malting plant at Issoudun, France — the largest industrial solar thermal installation in France at 14,252 m²), agricultural operations, sports and leisure facilities, hospitality, and district heating networks. Revenue is generated primarily through project-based hardware sales of engineered solar thermal systems, supplemented by Opticare subscription-based remote monitoring and technical study services. Pricing is project-specific with custom quotes; the company publicly benchmarks a 40% reduction in total installation cost versus classical solar thermal systems and an energy production cost below 20 EUR/MWh.

The go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales for flagship Opticube Field projects with a channel partner model: installer partnerships in Belgium and distributor partnerships internationally (active in France, Switzerland, Germany, Morocco, Kazakhstan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo). Distribution is supported by trade show presence, multilingual digital documentation, project case studies, and partner referrals. The company is privately held, financed by 23+2 individual shareholders across two equity rounds (2011 and 2013), operates with a 1–10 person team currently expanding, and holds Solar Keymark certification plus European Commission Seal of Excellence and Solar Impulse Foundation 'Efficient Solution' recognition for the Opticube.

Name

Sunoptimo

Legal name

Sunoptimo Energie SRL

Website

https://sunoptimo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sunoptimo Energie SRL is a Belgian manufacturer of containerized, drainback-based solar thermal systems (Opticube Standard and Opticube Field) serving large hot-water consumers in collective housing, industry, agriculture, and district heating networks across Europe, Africa, and Central Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Solar Thermal Systems

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar Thermal & CSP Systems (Collectors, Receivers, Thermal Storage, CSP EPC) (EUAMABAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Solar Plant Components Supply & Manufacturing (Modules, Cells, Wafers, Mirrors, Heliostats) (EUACAGAK)

Keywords

• Solar thermal systems
• Containerized solar heating
• Industrial process heat
• District heating solutions
• Drainback solar technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Namur

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Solar Thermal System Sales: Sunoptimo designs, manufactures, and sells containerized solar thermal systems (Opticube and Opticube Field) and individual components (collectors, tanks, heat exchangers, controls). The business model is project-based with custom-engineered solutions for each customer. Systems range from single-container kits (30-300 m²) to multi-container district heating stations (up to 30,000 m²).
2. Remote Monitoring Services (Opticare): Sunoptimo offers subscription-based remote monitoring services included in Opticare contracts. This service provides real-time production data, anomaly alerts, system optimization, and reporting. The monitoring helps secure investments and identify optimization opportunities that can significantly increase solar energy production.
3. Technical Studies and Engineering: Sunoptimo provides comprehensive project studies including 3D modeling, solar simulations, economic scenarios, and technical documentation. These studies help customers understand optimal sizing and economic returns before committing to installation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sunoptimo designs, manufactures, and sells containerized large-scale solar thermal systems built on a proprietary drainback (autovidange) architecture. Its flagship offerings are the Opticube Standard, a 20-foot maritime container pre-mounted with all hydraulic complexity for 30–300 m² collector fields, and the Opticube Field, a 40-foot turnkey solar heating station for district heating and industrial applications from 800 to 30,000 m². The portfolio also includes Optisun 245 collectors, Optiflow drainback stations, Optitank storage tanks, Optismart controllers, Optifix mounting systems, Optiaqua DHW stations, and Optiplate heat exchangers, supported by an Opticare remote monitoring subscription service.

Product overview

Sunoptimo is a Belgian manufacturer of large-scale solar thermal systems operating primarily in collective residential and industrial markets. Its product portfolio centers on two core containerized systems — the Opticube Standard (a 20-foot container kit for 30–300 m² solar fields, ideal for collective housing, hotels, farms, and small industry) and the Opticube Field (a 40-foot containerized solar heating station for district heating networks and large industrial sites from 800 to 30,000 m²). Both systems operate on the proprietary drainback (auto-drainage) principle, which eliminates overheating risk and enables significantly larger solar fractions than conventional pressurized systems. The broader portfolio includes the Optisun 245 V and H solar collectors (with Solar Keymark certification), Optifix mounting systems (flat roof, on-roof, and in-roof variants), the Optiflow range of hydraulic drainback stations (XS/S for small, M² for medium, XL for large installations), Optitank storage tanks in steel, stainless steel, enamel, and combi variants, Optismart controllers (Pro, Aqua, and Link for remote monitoring), Datalogger transmission devices, Optiaqua instantaneous DHW stations, Optiplate and Optiplate Pool heat exchangers, Optifluid heat transfer fluid, Opticu pre-insulated piping, plus expansion vessels, immersion heaters, thermostatic mixers, safety valves, and protective matting. The Dimensionnement Optimum (Optimum Sizing) methodology is a proprietary design approach applied across all systems to optimize the solar collector surface economically. Remote monitoring is available through the Opticare service contract, leveraging the Optismart Link controller and Datalogger devices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Opticube: All-in-one solar thermal kit integrated into a 20-foot maritime container for easy installation
• Opticube Field
• Optisun 245
• Opticare
• Dimensionnement Optimum
• Optiflow
• Optitank
• Optismart
• Optiaqua
• Optiplate
• Opticonnect
• Optifix

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% reduction in total installation cost compared to classical solar thermal
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered developing and flagship.

• Morocco distributor partnersdevelopingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2018Partnership agreements signed in Morocco as part of Sunoptimo's international expansion strategy. Morocco was identified as a key market for solar thermal solutions, with Sunoptimo participating in Solaire Expo Maroc (8th edition in 2019).
• Kazakhstan distributor partnersdevelopingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2018Partnership agreements signed in Kazakhstan as part of Sunoptimo's international expansion into Central Asian markets. The partnerships aim to establish distribution networks for solar thermal systems in the region.
• Democratic Republic of Congo distributor partnersdevelopingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2018Partnership agreements signed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of Sunoptimo's African expansion strategy. These partnerships position Sunoptimo to serve emerging markets with solar thermal solutions.
• Malteries Franco-Suisses (Boortmalt)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSunoptimo designed and manufactured the Opticube Field heating station for the largest solar thermal installation in France at Boortmalt's Issoudun malting facility (14,252 m² of collectors). This flagship project combines solar thermal with biomass and cogeneration to meet 50% of the plant's heat needs, avoiding 2,100 tonnes of CO2 annually.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Viessmann: Large German heating-systems manufacturer offering solar thermal collectors, heat pumps, and complete biomass and gas solutions. Comparable because its solar thermal portfolio directly overlaps Sunoptimo's customer base of collective housing and industrial heat consumers, even though Viessmann is far broader and larger.
• Vaillant Group: German heating, ventilation and solar thermal group (including Solartech and Saunier Duval brands). Comparable as a broad incumbent selling solar thermal packages into the same European residential, collective-housing and commercial hot-water markets as Sunoptimo.
• Bosch Thermotechnology: Division of Bosch selling heating, hot water, heat pump and solar thermal systems (including the Junkers/Bosch solar collector lines) across Europe. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for the same collective-housing and industrial solar thermal opportunities.

Direct peers

• Greenonetec: Austrian manufacturer of large-format flat-plate solar thermal collectors and pre-assembled systems for district heating and industrial process heat. Highly comparable as a similarly sized European solar thermal specialist targeting the same collective and industrial heat markets as Sunoptimo.
• Apricus Solar: European (Austria-origin) manufacturer of evacuated-tube and flat-plate solar thermal collectors and complete solar hot water systems. Comparable because it sells packaged solar thermal kits for residential, commercial and industrial applications similar to Sunoptimo's collector-plus-station model.
• Ritter Solar: German manufacturer of high-performance flat-plate solar thermal collectors and complete solar systems for residential and commercial applications. Comparable as a similarly sized European collector-and-system pure-play targeting the same comfort and process-heat use cases.
• Solvis GmbH: German solar thermal specialist producing complete solar heating systems, storage tanks and controls for residential and commercial buildings. Comparable as a European SME-sized solar thermal pure-play with a similar technology-plus-system-integration focus.

Regional players

• EnergieSolaire / SolarBayer: German manufacturer and supplier of flat-plate solar thermal collectors and turnkey solar heating systems for residential, commercial and district heating. Comparable as a regional player targeting the same European district-heating and large-installation niches with turnkey offerings.
• Wagner Solar GmbH: German solar thermal installer and distributor offering complete solar thermal and combined heat-and-power solutions. Comparable as a DACH-focused channel and partner-side player whose customer base overlaps Sunoptimo's collective-housing and district-heating targets.

Emerging players

• Kingspan Solar (Thermomax): Vacuum-tube and flat-plate solar thermal brand under Kingspan, focused on residential and commercial hot water. Comparable because it sells packaged solar thermal kits with monitoring/controllers at a similar station-plus-collector architecture to Opticube.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sunoptimo

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sunoptimo