Smart Metering Systems, which installs and manages smart meters and carbon reduction assets, has announced its expansion to Cork after the recent acquisition of energy tech start-up, Solo Energy.

The disruptive business model of Solo Energy includes the offer of battery storage, microgeneration, and electric vehicle (EV) charger installations at no-upfront cost to homes and businesses, with its goal to lower energy bills for consumers and help make the transition to renewables through establishing a Virtual Power Plant (VPP).

This is achieved through the innovative, cloud-based FlexiGridTM aggregation platform that Solo has developed in-house from its offices in Cork, and Orkney, Scotland. FlexiGridTM centrally controls the distributed energy assets it installs to balance renewable generation and create efficient, local smart energy systems.

The 20 software development and project management roles will be created over the next five years.

Welcoming the news, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar said, "To transition to a greener economy, we will need innovative and disruptive companies to take advantage of the opportunities that will arise in the move to a low carbon future.  SMS’s collaboration with Solo Energy will see the creation of 20 new highly skilled jobs in Cork. I wish them well for the future. Companies such as this one will help Ireland achieve our target of dramatically reducing carbon emissions."

Operations Director and Co-Founder of Solo Energy, Killian O’Connor added, "The 20 jobs created following our acquisition by SMS will also contribute to the fast-expanding renewable energy cluster in Cork and the South West region, and we are thrilled to play our part in growing such an important, innovative sector."

Source: www.businessworld.ie