Enerdrape is setting the pace in the US. The EPFL spin-off is working currently on the Millennium Parking Garages in Chicago, the largest downtown public underground parking system in North America, with over 9,000 parking spaces. The company is also seeing demand surge in other high-potential cities such as New York.
Launched in 2019 by Margaux Peltier and Alessandro F. Rotta Loria, Enerdrape has developed the world's first geothermal panel technology, harnessing shallow geothermal energy and residual thermal energy without any drilling or direct contact with the ground.
After accelerating its development in Europe with flagship projects in Switzerland and in France with Engie, the EPFL spin-off is expanding rapidly in the United States, as evidenced by one of its latest and most ambitious projects, carried out at Millennium Parking Garages in Chicago.
Thriving in New York and Chicago
Contacted by Startupticker.ch, co-founder and CTO, Alessandro Rotta Loria explains that at present, Enerdrape activities are particularly dynamic in New York and Chicago. "In New York, we are evaluating the potential of Enerdrape in six large-scale buildings: two hotels, two affordable housing complexes, and two residences. At the same time, we are also conducting similar work on two infrastructure projects. At this stage, everything is preliminary, but the situation is promising. At the same time, in Chicago, our efforts are focused on installing Enerdrape panels in a large underground parking garage. These initiatives reflect positively on our recent expansion efforts in the US market and demonstrate the growing interest in our solution, despite a complex political environment." Adding "This momentum can be explained in part by the progressive policies of states such as New York and Illinois."
As Margaux Peltier, CEO and Co-founder, further tells us, Enerdrape has recently taken several major steps forward, including ensuring compatibility with electric charging stations to integrate its solutions into multi-energy infrastructures, developing monitoring software that enables real-time tracking of energy performance and impact reporting for customers, consolidating its intellectual property with new patents stemming from product and technological innovations, and accelerating its commercial expansion with entry into the French market through strategic collaborations such as Engie Solutions, paving the way for internationalization.
Taking the vision to new heights
Looking ahead, the Swiss startup has ambitious plans to develop new use cases, such as cooling via its panels or using urban tunnels for large-scale energy supply. The team is also preparing a Series A fundraising round (scheduled for 2026) to accelerate these developments and support the commercial rollout.
On the business side, CEO Margaux Peltier explains that the start-up intends to strengthen its presence in the United States, with an initial exploratory phase conducted in collaboration with academic and industrial partners, with a view to validating product/market fit and launching pilot projects and developing local partnerships for the distribution and installation of our solution, to facilitate its adoption and scaling. For the time being, Enerdrape's panels are produced in Italy, but the company is looking for other options to facilitate its activities in America.
