Illuminating European infrastructure: a story of Mariia Alipatova

The manufacturing industry is highly energy-intensive, accounting for 25.1% of the EU’s energy consumption in 2022 (Eurostat). Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, energy prices across Europe have become increasingly volatile. In response, the REPowerEU plan was launched to reduce the EU’s dependency on Russian fossil fuels and accelerate the green transition. Emerging from Ukraine – a country deeply familiar with the urgency of energy resilience – Solar Optic is a step toward sustainable energy for Europe.

Mariia Alipatova, CEO and Co-Founder of Tova Industries, is working on Solar Optic, a hybrid lightning technology for warehouses, factories and industrial centres. It concentrates and channels natural sunlight indoors, significantly reducing reliance on artificial lighting.

Maria’s passion for mechanical engineering and innovation was recognised by the EIT Manufacturing RIS LEADERS Competition 2024, where she was awarded third place. The programme is designed to support and highlight women innovators developing solutions – with strong environmental and societal impact – across the EIT’s Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) countries.

Guiding the sunlight into industrial spaces

Solar Optic technology includes solar concentrators that illuminate one-story buildings during the daytime. The concentrated sunlight is guided via a fibre optic cable and distributed inside the building, unlike the solar panels that convert heat into electricity. This patented innovation can cut electricity consumption for lighting by up to 80%, lowering both operational costs and carbon emissions. Beyond energy savings, the system promotes worker well-being by bringing the benefits of natural light into indoor workspaces.

What started as a university project at the National University of Food Technologies (NUFT) with Mariia’s scientific supervisor, who later became a co-founder, quickly evolved into something more urgent. The team created a preliminary minimum viable product (MVP) and validated their concept with business owners, confirming a pressing market demand. But it was the energy crisis of 2022 that truly crystallised their mission.

“We saw a huge need for energy-saving solutions not only in Ukraine but also in the EU,” she recalls. This vision has shaped their ambitious goals: “Our mission is to make Europe climate neutral and decrease the import of Russian fossil fuels to Europe.”

The path hasn’t been easy, particularly given Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. “Constant attacks and blackouts are causing disruption in our functionality and productivity,” she notes. Since Ukraine is not an EU member, navigating certification requirements to sell the technology in Europe has been an additional hurdle. To overcome these challenges, the team has invested in external specialists, maintained continuous internal communication and supported each other through uncertainty.

Prototype of Solar Optic technology

Saying out loud about your solution

The RIS LEADERS Competition by EIT Manufacturing caught Mariia’s attention. “At that moment, I felt it was a great opportunity to expand the network and say out loud about our solution,” she says of her decision to apply. The feedback received from the experts and mentors helped improve their pitch deck and led to a crucial connection with a key stakeholder responsible for hardware technology certification in Europe – a vital step for their expansion plans.

Mariia’s advice to other women entrepreneurs? “Keep pushing and validate ideas as fast as possible.”

New horizons for solar energy

The team has become a member of the Ukraine Energy Initiative under the UN Global Compact and part of the Seeds of Bravery programme that supports Ukrainian startups.

Now they are working on the next milestone. They are installing the first proof of concept at the industrial site in Germany. This will help collect necessary information about efficiency, installation features and expand the team.

Looking ahead, Mariia’s mission is for Ukraine to become a leader in the renewable energy sector. Not an easy task under the ongoing war conditions and a lack of qualified engineers. But nothing can stop a true innovator from achieving their goals.