Scaling circular construction with Concular

Scaling Digital Grid Solutions: Inside E.ON One's Portfolio Strategy

E.ON One [https://one.eon.com/] is the digital arm of E.ON Group, one of Europe’s largest operators of energy networks and energy infrastructure, serving 50 million customers. E. ON One is focused on building software and platforms that help energy companies and grid operators manage the complexity of transitioning to renewable, decentralised energy systems. E.ON One provides an integrated, bundled portfolio of digital solutions that help organisations and companies master their journey in the energy transition. The focus areas span grid operations, grid connection, and energy management. Connect with Tim Van Amstel on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-van-amstel/]. 00:00 What is E.ON One? Tim explains how E.ON One fits inside E.ON and why the platform was created.05:50 Why Utilities Need Digitization Now08:45 AI in Energy: Beyond the Hype10:35 How E.ON One combines utility expertise with startup speed and digital talent.11:45 How E.ON One Finds and Selects Scale-Ups15:10 Inside the Portfolio: Digitizing the Grid with Envelio - how digital twins and intelligent grid platforms are changing planning and operations.19:30 gridX and the Rise of Home Energy Management - connecting solar, EVs, heat pumps, and flexibility into one platform.21:00 Making EV Charging Profitable with envelio - why uptime and predictive maintenance matter more than ever in charging infrastructure.23:20 Why commercial talent and pacing growth may matter more than technology.27:10 What startups underestimate about working with energy incumbents.28:10 What Will Define the Utility of the Future?29:50 How Startups Can Work with E.ON Digitizing the Grid: Investor signals, market shifts, and what utilities are learning from scale-ups For years, the energy transition was framed as a hardware challenge. Build more renewables.Install more chargers.Deploy more batteries. That story is incomplete. The next bottleneck is increasingly becoming something less visible: the ability to operate a radically more complex energy system. The Grid Was Designed for Predictability. The Future Is Not. Historically, utilities operated in a relatively stable environment. Large centralized generation assets produced electricity and demand followed recognizable patterns. For example, in the morning demand is increased, whereas in the evening it peaks. And so operators planned accordingly. However, today’s grid must accommodate: * Distributed solar generation * Electrification of transport * Heat pumps * Flexible demand * Intermittent renewable generation * Consumers who are becoming producers As Tim explained: “The supply is changing to become more intermittent, decentralized… and the consumers have completely different patterns and changes.” This changes the operating equation. Utilities no longer need only generation capacity, they need decision-making capacity. The Investment Thesis: Data Is Becoming Grid Infrastructure One of the strongest themes emerging in digital energy investing is that software is shifting from optimization layer to operating layer. This is visible across categories: * Digital twins * Forecasting and simulation * Distributed energy orchestration * Grid flexibility platforms * AI-enabled maintenance * Home energy management systems The common thread between all these is to turn fragmented operational data into actionable decisions. A useful example is envelio, one of E.ON One’s portfolio companies. Distribution operators often store operational information across disconnected systems—ERP, GIS, SCADA, CRM. Tim explained the opportunity: “It is key to have all of your data stored in one platform, in one data format, in order to allow to build applications on top.” The outcome is more than visualization. Digital grid platforms create a real-time model of network behavior. According to Tim: “Back in the days… a proper calculation of the grid sometimes took weeks or months… now this can all be done relatively dynamically in split seconds.” That is a dramatic change in operational capability. AI’s Real Opportunity Is Not Replacing Operators AI discussions in energy often drift into speculation. What’s more interesting is where adoption is already happening. Tim’s observation was practical: “Technology wise, you can be much more efficient and much faster in employing solutions or analyzing scenarios… but also simply in doing your actual operational work.” The innovation imperative is in faster planning, scenario analysis, operational execution, maintenance prioritization, and customer optimization. AI appears strongest where decisions are repetitive, data-heavy, and operationally constrained. The Market Opportunity: Flexibility Is Becoming a Utility Capability If digitization is the enabler, flexibility is increasingly becoming the business model. Utilities are moving from selling energy to orchestrating flows. This is visible in platforms like gridX. Home energy management systems coordinate: * solar generation * batteries * EV charging * heat pumps * grid interaction As Tim described: “If the grid has a problem… use that electricity from the grid. And for all of that, you need a home energy management system.” This is where energy begins to resemble software markets: Value shifts from ownership to orchestration. Forecast: What Happens Next Over the next decade, expect utilities to compete less on assets alone and more on: * forecasting quality * flexibility management * operational intelligence * software ecosystems * customer orchestration Tim summarized the shift simply: “A successful utility needs to pivot relatively fast, test, and embrace technology. I really believe this whole flex topic… that is the future.” And only the companies that learn to digitize will define the next phase of the energy transition. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit klimaticgroup.substack.com [https://klimaticgroup.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Lab to Industry: where biomimicry disrupts the construction industry

Strong by Form [https://www.strongbyform.com/] is a materials technology company founded in 2018, originally in Santiago, Chile, and now operating across Europe with its headquarters in Madrid, Spain. At the heart of their work is a proprietary technology called Woodflow®. Woodflow is a biomimetic technology inspired by the structural genius of trees, combining digital fabrication with computational design to optimize wood’s natural properties and enable the creation of complex, high-performance components. The result is a material that is carbon-negative, using wood in more intelligent formats, such as chips or veneers, engineered to place material only where it’s needed, minimizing waste while maximizing carbon storage. The technology comes in two forms: Woodflow-skin, a cladding and surface product already commercially deployed, and Woodflow-core, a structural solution currently in advanced prototyping. Strong by Form has designed a structural floor piece that can span longer distances than existing engineered wood making it a viable replacement for steel or concrete, while being lighter than all three. Connect with Andres on LinkedIn here [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andres-mitnik/]. 00:00 – Founder journey: from corporate venturing to deep tech 02:00 – Vision: decarbonizing the built environment at scale 03:44 – What’s broken in construction materials today 05:23 – The “lazy construction” problem 06:34 – Why concrete, steel & oil-based materials still dominate 09:12 – How Strong By Form’s technology works 12:08 – First pilot: Deutsche Bahn & the Berlin Südkreuz project 17:25 – Why pilots don’t scale and why that’s okay 18:28 – Certification: the hidden bottleneck 26:28 – “Sell nails, not furniture”: go-to-market insight 27:11 – What’s next: funding, certification, and scale-up 27:45 – What industry gets wrong about innovation The Material Shift: Why Sustainable Construction Starts with What We Build With The decarbonization of the built environment is often framed around energy efficiency, electrification, and smart systems. But there is a more foundational layer to address: the materials themselves. Steel, cement, aluminum, and plastics form the backbone of modern construction, and together, they account for a significant share of global emissions. Cement alone is responsible for roughly 7–8% of global carbon dioxide emissions. [https://www.precedenceresearch.com/insightimg/sustainable-construction-materials-market-share-by-region.webp] If the last decade was about how buildings operate, the next will be about what they are made of. Embodied carbon is becoming the new frontier. Embodied carbon, the emissions associated with material extraction, production, and construction, is emerging as the largest remaining source. In some new buildings, embodied carbon already accounts for up to 50% of total lifecycle emissions. Unlike operational emissions, which can be reduced over time, embodied carbon is locked in from day one. Once a building is constructed, those emissions are already in the atmosphere. This shifts the optimization problem. It is no longer just about designing better buildings, it is about choosing better materials. Traditional construction materials are carbon-intensive by design. Cement production requires high-temperature kilns powered largely by fossil fuels, while also releasing CO₂ through chemical processes. Steelmaking depends on coal-based blast furnaces. The result is a system optimized for cost, durability, and scale, but not for carbon. At the same time, global demand for construction materials is expected to double by 2060, driven by urbanization and infrastructure growth, particularly in emerging markets. Without intervention, this locks in decades of high emissions. The good news is innovation in sustainable materials is accelerating across multiple fronts, each targeting different parts of the value chain. * Low-carbon cement alternatives are reducing clinker content through supplementary materials such as fly ash, slag, and calcined clay, cutting emissions by 30–50%. * Green steel is emerging through hydrogen-based direct reduced iron (DRI) processes, with pilot plants in Europe already producing near-zero-emission steel. * Engineered timber (see episode), including cross-laminated timber (CLT), is enabling mid- and high-rise construction with significantly lower embodied carbon while storing carbon within the structure itself. * Carbon-cured concrete technologies inject captured CO₂ into concrete during production, permanently mineralizing it and improving material strength. * Circular materials, such as recycled steel, reclaimed aggregates, and reused structural components, are reducing the need for virgin resource extraction. Each of these innovations addresses a different constraint, whether it is emissions intensity, material performance, or resource scarcity. Together, they point toward a more diversified and resilient materials ecosystem. The cost curve is moving, but not evenly. One of the persistent barriers to adoption is cost. Low-carbon materials often carry a premium, particularly at early stages of deployment. Green steel, for example, can cost 20–50% more than conventional steel today, depending on energy prices and scale. However, this premium is not static. As production scales, supply chains mature, and carbon pricing mechanisms strengthen, the gap is expected to narrow. In some cases, it already is. Blended cements and recycled materials can be cost-competitive—or even cheaper—depending on local availability. The more important point is that cost cannot be assessed in isolation. Developers and contractors operate within tight margins, but they are also increasingly exposed to regulatory risk, carbon pricing, and investor pressure. A material that is slightly more expensive upfront may reduce long-term financial and compliance risks. The decision is shifting from lowest cost to lowest total risk. Adoption is a coordination challenge. The transition to sustainable materials is not blocked by a lack of innovation—it is constrained by fragmentation across the value chain. Architects specify materials, engineers validate them, contractors procure them, and developers absorb the costs. Each actor has different incentives, and no single player controls the entire decision. This creates a coordination problem. A developer may be willing to pay a green premium, but only if the materials are available at scale. A manufacturer may be ready to invest in low-carbon production, but only if there is predictable demand. Contractors may hesitate to adopt unfamiliar materials without proven performance and clear standards. Breaking this cycle requires alignment across multiple stakeholders at once. Policy is beginning to play that role. Governments are starting to move beyond operational energy codes toward embodied carbon regulations. France’s RE2020 and the Netherlands’ MPG standard already set limits on lifecycle emissions for new buildings. Public procurement is also emerging as a powerful lever, with cities and governments requiring low-carbon materials in infrastructure projects. These policies do not mandate specific technologies—they set performance targets. This creates space for multiple solutions to compete, whether it is green steel, timber, or novel cement alternatives. The signal is clear: carbon is becoming a design constraint. From niche to default. Sustainable materials are still a minority in global construction, but the trajectory is familiar. Early adoption is concentrated in pilot projects, flagship developments, and regions with strong policy support. Over time, as costs fall and standards evolve, these materials move into the mainstream. We have seen this pattern before with renewable energy and electric vehicles. What begins as a premium option becomes the default. The same shift is now underway in construction materials. What will determine the pace is not just technological progress, but system-level coordination—between policy, industry, and finance. The builders who move early will not just reduce emissions. They will shape supply chains, influence standards, and position themselves in a market where carbon constraints are tightening. Thanks for reading! Subscribe for episodes in your inbox. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit klimaticgroup.substack.com [https://klimaticgroup.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Scaling circular construction with Concular

Concular [http://concular.de] is a German climate tech company transforming the construction industry by enabling circular construction, keeping building materials in use instead of sending them to waste. Founded in 2020 and based in Berlin, Concular operates as a digital and physical ecosystem that connects demolition projects with new construction, ensuring materials are reused rather than discarded. 00:00 – Dominic’s journey: from Google to climate tech 02:31 – The real problem: construction as a climate driver 04:46 – The economics of waste: landfill vs reuse 06:29 – How Concular works (end-to-end model) 08:47 – Can circular construction actually scale? 09:01 – Regulation as the unlock (EU perspective) 12:12 – Why construction is so slow to change 12:50 – How to drive adoption in a risk-averse industry 14:05 – The insurance insight: building trust to sell innovation 16:02 – Scaling through standards (DIN example) 17:18 – What’s next for Concular (12–24 months) 19:26 – Open knowledge & building a movement 20:30 – How to access Concular’s resources 20:40 – Call to action: what the industry needs now From Waste to Supply Chain: The Secondary Markets for Construction Materials Most people think aviation is one of the biggest climate problems. But the construction sector is actually responsible for ~40% of global CO₂ emissions and ~60% of global waste (aviation is around 3%). And yet, every day, we demolish buildings, send valuable materials to landfill, and produce the same materials again. So how do we scale the secondary market for construction materials? Circular construction depends on one thing: a functioning market where materials from old buildings can be reused in new ones. Without that, materials get downcycled or landfilled. A functioning market is one where materials retain value, emissions drop, and costs go down. However, there are barriers in making a functioning market. * Supply is fragmented. Materials are hard to standardize, difficult to inventory, and time-sensitive (tied to demolition schedules). * Trust is low in secondary materials. Buyers ask if it’s certified, who takes liability, and what happens if it fails? Trust is the real bottleneck. * Virgin materials are too easy to procure. They are cheap, standardized, and always available. For reuse to win, it has to be better, cheaper, and lower risk. * Coordination challenges. Construction is project-based, risk-averse, and logistically complex. Regulation is critical for the secondary market to compete. The EU is requiring pre-demolition audits, which creates supply and CO2 limits for buildings, which creates demand. This combination creates an enabling environment that is policy-driven. The ROI of reused materials is also becoming evident. Financial calculations must be part of the solution to be viable to construction companies: * Cut embodied emissions by up to ~95% * Reduce deconstruction costs by up to ~30% * Compete with rising landfill and transport costs Last, secondary markets require infrastructure, taking the form of digital passports to match supply and demand, material passports to track their quality and origin, and physical hubs to store, refurbish, and redistribute materials. This is causing large construction and materials companies to invest in recycling and reuse, build refurbishment capabilities, and position themselves for a circular supply chain. Startups thus should prepare themselves to build a marketplace, not just a product. They must solve for supply aggregation, demand creation, trust (certification, insurance, guarantees), logistics and timing, and policy alignment. Concular is doing just that. Secondary markets have a way to go. They work in pockets, but are not yet fully mature. But policy is becoming aligned, economics are improving, and infrastructure is emerging, making this an exciting space for investors and policymakers to watch. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit klimaticgroup.substack.com [https://klimaticgroup.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Wrapped Up in Energy | Urban Chapter

In this episode of Klimatic Scale, Dash speaks with Brian Koh [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-baewon-koh-b8123612/], an architect turned entrepreneur who founded Integra D&C [http://www.integradnc.com/home-eng] after 27 years of designing sustainable buildings across the US and South Korea. Brian takes us inside his product IUES [http://www.moduwalls.biz/en] - a prefabricated modular envelope system that retrofits existing buildings fast, without the mess of conventional renovation. See the video of the installation here. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi55IAommfY] 👉 Listen to find out why Brian thinks the slowness of the construction industry is actually a startup opportunity. 1:00 From architect to entrepreneur: Brian’s journey 5:00 Why pretty buildings are an energy disaster 9:00 The building envelope as an energy efficiency solution 13:00 IUES - a success case 17:00 Retrofitting a building in a summer break 25:00 What it takes to sell to the construction industry 30:00 Advice for built environment startups Connect with Brian [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-baewon-koh-b8123612/] if you want to continue the conversation! This is one of the episodes of the Urban Chapter of Klimatic Scale, where we talk to innovators in built environment, real estate, and construction. We show the toughest challenges and the best working solutions. See our previous episode in the Urban Chapter that shares the perspective of a real estate developer on the energy innovation in the built environment: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit klimaticgroup.substack.com [https://klimaticgroup.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Built Up Energy | Urban Chapter

In this episode of Klimatic Scale, Dash speaks with Sarah Perumalla [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsarahperumalla/], who leads innovation at DIEAG [https://www.die.ag/], a Berlin-based real estate developer that excels in high-value buildings and district projects. Sarah takes us inside a specific 1.4 billion project where the goal from day one was full energy self-sufficiency. She shares the key challenges and how innovation was managed to keep the project on track. 👉 Listen to find out how DIEAG prefers to work with startups. This is one of the episodes of the Urban Chapter of Klimatic Scale, where we talk to innovators in the built environment, real estate, and construction. We show the toughest challenges and the best working solutions. 1:00 Intro and cities of tomorrow 5:00 Energy self-sufficiency at district scale 9:00 Innovation challenge example: deep geothermal 12:00 25 stakeholders to the same table 17:00 How DIEAG works with startups 25:00 What startups get wrong when approaching real estate developers P.S. This episode was recorded in August 2025. Connect with Sarah [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsarahperumalla/] if you want to continue the conversation! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit klimaticgroup.substack.com [https://klimaticgroup.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]