cupasol

What cupasol does

Cupasol GmbH is a Ravensburg-based German engineering and construction firm that designs and delivers integrated renewable district heating systems. Its core offering combines large-area solar thermal collectors — based on a proprietary vacuum-tube MEGA-Kollektor — with seasonal Großwärmespeicher (cylindrical water-filled storage tanks of 1,000–10,000 m³) and Nahwärmenetze (district heating networks) that distribute solar-generated hot water to connected residential buildings via compact house connection stations (HAST). The company serves municipalities, property developers (Bautr\u00e4ger), and municipal energy utilities (Stadtwerke), positioning itself as a general contractor for turnkey solar heating installations and as a specialist planner for feasibility, economic, and risk analyses.

Cupasol generates revenue through three streams: one-time engineering and construction contracts as general contractor, professional planning and feasibility study services, and recurring heat supply via 15-year contracting arrangements (extendable by 10 years) operated through its partner company sowaport, which also acts as investor in completed plants. Its flagship reference is the Stadtwerke Horb am Neckar installation, where a 3,000 m³ seasonal heat storage commissioned in 2015 and additional solar thermal capacity added in 2021 serve 300 households across a 5,170 m district heating network, displacing wood-gasifier operation.

The company operates from Ravensburg (headquarters) and Leipzig (engineering/project development), with construction activity in southern Baden-Württemberg. Management is led by founder Marco Eckardt (Managing Director, R&D) alongside Dr. Thomas Eckardt (Project Management and Realization), with a small in-house team supplemented by administrative, HR, construction management, and technical operations staff. No external institutional investors, parent company, or funding rounds are disclosed in the available data.

Name

cupasol

Legal name

Cupasol GmbH

Website

https://cupasol.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Cupasol GmbH is a German engineering and construction firm based in Ravensburg that designs and delivers turnkey large-scale solar thermal systems, seasonal heat storage, and district heating networks for municipalities, developers, and municipal utilities pursuing 100% renewable heat supply.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Solar Thermal District Heating Infrastructure

NAICS

Steam and Air-Conditioning Supply (221330), Heating Equipment (except Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing (333414), Power Boiler and Heat Exchanger Manufacturing (33241)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Solar EPC & Construction (Utility-Scale, Rooftop, Balance of System) (EUAMABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Renewable Energy Industrial Facilities Construction (Solar, Wind, Storage) (IMAFADAD)

Keywords

• Solar thermal systems
• District heating networks
• Seasonal heat storage
• Renewable energy infrastructure
• Heat supply contracting

Headquarters

HQ city

Ravensburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering and Construction as General Contractor: Cupasol develops concepts and delivers turnkey heat storage plants as general contractor (Generalunternehmer). They handle engineering and construction of the complete solar thermal and heat storage system.
2. Heat Supply Contracting (Wärmeliefer-Contracting): Through their partner company sowaport, they operate solar thermal plants and deliver hot water to households. Heat supply contracts typically run for 15 years with options to extend for another 10 years.
3. Professional Planning Services: As specialist planners for solar thermal plants, large heat storage, and district heating networks, they support planning offices with studies for existing buildings and new construction, including technical potential analyses, economic viability assessments, land analyses, operator models, and risk analyses.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cupasol GmbH engineers, constructs, and commissions large-scale solar thermal collector fields combined with seasonal water-filled heat storage tanks (1,000–10,000 m³) and district heating networks that supply entire residential areas with up to 100% solar-generated heat. As general contractor, the company delivers turnkey installations to municipalities, property developers, and municipal energy utilities, with long-term heat supply operated either by the customer or by partner company sowaport under 15-year heat delivery contracts.

Product overview

Cupasol offers an integrated portfolio of physical infrastructure products and services for renewable district heating. The core offering combines four main products: (1) großflächige Solarthermie (large-area solar thermal systems) using MEGA collectors, (2) Solar100 (100% solar heating concept) delivering complete CO2-free heat supply, (3) Großwärmespeicher (seasonal large heat storage) with 1,000–10,000 m³ cylindrical tanks, and (4) Nahwärmenetz (district heating network) distribution infrastructure with Hausanschlussstation (HAST) connections. Services include Fachplanung (expert planning) and Wärmeliefer-Contracting (heat supply contracting) operated by partner sowaport. The products work as an integrated system: solar thermal collectors generate heat, seasonal storage stores excess summer heat for winter use, and district heating networks distribute hot water to connected households year-round.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Großflächige Solarthermie (Large-scale solar thermal systems) Large-area solar thermal systems that convert solar energy into heat through vacuum tube collectors (MEGA-Kollektoren) and supply hot water to district heating networks for residential space heating and domestic hot water. Designed for municipalities, property developers, and municipal energy utilities planning new or expanded renewable heating infrastructure.
• Solar100 (100% Solarthermie) Integrated concept delivering a complete 100% solar-powered heat supply by combining solar thermal collector fields, seasonal large heat storage, and a district heating network to provide CO2-free heating and hot water year-round to whole residential areas. Targeted at municipalities and developers seeking fully renewable neighborhood heating.
• Großwärmespeicher (Seasonal large heat storage) Cylindrical water-filled seasonal heat storage tanks with storage volumes from 1,000 to 10,000 m³, with all components at ground level for external access, redundant high-efficiency circulation pumps and heat exchangers, and a central control system for temperature and energy-flow visualization. Designed for district heating networks to bridge summer heat surplus to winter demand.
• Nahwärmenetz (District heating network) District heating network infrastructure that distributes solar-generated hot water from central solar thermal fields and seasonal heat storage to connected residential households, enabling whole neighborhoods to be served from a single renewable heat source.
• Fachplanung (Expert planning services) Specialist planning services for solar thermal plants, large heat storage, and district heating networks, including technical potential studies, feasibility analyses, economic viability assessments, land analyses, operator model design, and risk analyses. Delivered to municipalities, planning offices, and developers at the early concept stage of new building areas or heating transition projects.
• Wärmeliefer-Contracting (Heat supply contracting) Heat supply contracting service under which partner company sowaport invests in, builds, and operates solar thermal plants and delivers hot water to connected households under 15-year heat supply contracts with options to extend for another 10 years. Allows municipalities and project partners to avoid upfront investment costs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 50% savings in resources compared to other energy sources
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• sowaportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner company that serves as investor and operator of solar thermal plants. Manages heat supply contracts with households and assumes operational responsibility. Heat supply contracts typically run for 15 years with option to extend 10 years. Enables project partners to avoid investment costs if desired.
• schäffler sinnogycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner company from Freiburg specialized in Wärmenetze 4.0 (heat networks 4.0) organization and execution. Close collaboration for direct project realization with funding programs.
• Hüttig & Rompf AGminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndependent construction financing broker working with approximately 2,750 developers and real estate agents nationwide for over 30 years. Provides financing options for buyers including all subsidy possibilities and special conditions with local banks.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ritter XL Solar: German specialist in large-scale solar thermal systems for district heating and process heat. Directly comparable to Cupasol in the Großflächige Solarthermie + heat storage segment, serving similar municipalities and utilities.
• Arcon-Sunmark: Danish-headquartered provider of large-scale solar thermal heating systems and seasonal heat storage with strong German presence. Closest EPC peer in the utility-scale solar thermal and seasonal heat storage market.

Broad incumbents

• Viessmann: Major German heating equipment manufacturer offering boilers, heat pumps, and renewable heating systems. Broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities in the renewable heating market though not specialized in large-scale solar thermal + district heating.
• Bosch Thermotechnik: Division of Bosch providing heating, hot water, and air conditioning solutions across residential and commercial segments. Broad incumbent in heating equipment with portfolio overlap in renewable heating though not focused on solar thermal district heating.
• Vaillant: European heating technology manufacturer (German roots) offering heat pumps, boilers, and renewable heating systems. Broad incumbent serving overlapping end-markets with a broader portfolio than Cupasol's solar thermal niche.
• Stiebel Eltron: German heating technology specialist with strong positioning in heat pumps and renewable heating. Broad incumbent offering alternative renewable heating solutions that compete for the same municipal and developer customers as Cupasol.

Emerging players

• Solvis: German specialist in solar thermal systems and hybrid heating solutions for residential and commercial applications. Smaller, niche-focused peer in solar thermal with overlapping product portfolio to Cupasol's MEGA-Kollektor systems.
• Absolicon: Swedish company developing concentrated solar thermal (CSP) collectors for industrial process heat and district heating. Comparable technology approach to Cupasol with focus on solar thermal for industrial and municipal heating applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cupasol-gmbh

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 cupasol