For businesses and developers, adopting clean energy technologies like solar panels and electric vehicle (EV) chargers can be a daunting task. A complex bidding process requiring proposal requests, bid evaluations, and contractor negotiations often obscures the pathway to a fair deal. However, Station A, a startup founded by MIT alumni, is revolutionizing the way clean energy is deployed.
This innovative marketplace enables real estate owners and businesses to evaluate their properties effectively, calculate potential returns on clean energy investments, and streamline the process of creating project listings, collecting bids, and selecting providers.
Station A simplifies the adoption of renewable energy solutions—including solar energy systems, battery storage, and EV charging stations—ensuring that clients can access the best prices in locations where they can maximize cost savings and emissions reductions.
“We aim to make adopting clean energy effortless,” shares Manos Saratsis, MArch ’15, co-founder of Station A along with Kevin Berkemeyer, MBA ’14. “It’s akin to trying to book a flight through a travel agent who only offers one airline—it’s not cost-efficient, and your options are limited. Our clients seek multiple choices, along with an understanding of the providers’ track records.”
Station A has partnered with some of the nation’s largest real estate firms, many managing extensive property portfolios, with the goal of decreasing their carbon footprints. Additionally, the company collaborates with enterprises like grocery chains and warehouses, thereby accelerating the clean energy transition.
“Utilizing advanced AI and machine learning, our platform converts addresses into building footprints, assessing electricity costs, available incentives, and potential ROI,” Saratsis, Station A’s head of product, explains. “This process, which would typically cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting, is accomplished quickly and affordably through our system.”
Establishing the Groundwork
During his graduate studies at MIT’s Department of Architecture, Saratsis focused on environmental design modeling, leveraging satellite data to analyze community energy consumption and propose effective clean energy solutions. Influential classes with professors Christoph Reinhart and Kent Larsen played a crucial role in shaping his journey.
“The foundations for building thermal models and simulating a building’s electricity usage were laid during my time at MIT,” Saratsis reflects.
Berkemeyer, who served as president of the MIT Energy Club and was a research assistant at the MIT Energy Initiative, credits his entrepreneurship classes taught by Bill Aulet and sustainability lessons from Jason Jay as fundamental to his career. Prior to MIT, he gained extensive experience developing solar and storage projects. Though Berkemeyer and Saratsis did not meet at MIT, they later collaborated at NRG Energy post-graduation.
“We recognized a pivotal opportunity to transform business approaches to clean energy,” Berkemeyer, now CEO of Station A, states. “Our foundation rests on the belief that data and transparency can unlock the vast potential of clean energy technologies for all.”
At NRG, the co-founders devised software to pinpoint decarbonization opportunities without requiring physical site visits by analysts. “Whether working with major grocery chains or retailers, we implemented proprietary analytics to evaluate their portfolios and recommend solar projects, energy efficiency solutions, and demand response measures that would offer immediate positive returns,” Saratsis notes.
In 2018, buoyed by their success, the founders, along with co-founders Jeremy Lucas and Sam Steyer, established Station A, shifting their focus from energy companies to real estate owners managing large property portfolios. Station A’s platform can assess hundreds or thousands of addresses, providing insightful financial return estimates for clean energy investments.
In 2020, the company expanded from offering analytical access to launching a comprehensive marketplace for clean energy transactions, facilitating competitive bidding for clean energy projects. After installation, Station A also tracks performance metrics and financial returns.
“When communicating with those outside of our sector, it’s surprising to many that such a system didn’t already exist,” Saratsis comments. “Despite the industry maturing, there remains a notable gap in transparent and scalable bidding processes.”
From MIT to Global Impact
Currently, around 2,500 clean energy developers utilize Station A’s platform, which also serves major real estate investment trusts and corporations such as HP, Nestle, and Goldman Sachs. If Station A were counted as a developer, it would rank among the top 10 in annual solar deployments, according to Saratsis.
The founders attribute their growth to their MIT connections. “Many of our relationships blossomed during our time at MIT, whether through Sloan or other engagements,” Saratsis reveals. “Reputation plays a critical role in our industry, and we’ve built a solid one.”
Since inception, Station A has continued nurturing its ties with MIT, sponsoring courses at the Sustainability Lab, an institution where Saratsis had previously researched. The skills developed during their education are integral to Station A’s ongoing expansion.
“The building analysis methods we employ are influenced by my experiences at MIT,” Saratsis concludes.
“We are just at the beginning of our journey,” Berkemeyer affirms. “Clean energy adoption transcends mere technology; it’s about making the entire process accessible and seamless. That is our driving motivation, and we look forward to leading this vital transformation.”
Photo credit & article inspired by: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
