“Buildings already have fans. Buildings already have optimum temperatures. Why not utilize those fans, those conditions to capture CO2 from the passing air?”
Ari Piispanen, Co-founder, Soletair Power
Soletair Power is a Finnish technology company founded in 2016, with a vision to build the world’s largest distributed CO2 capture network and turn cities into carbon sinks, one building at a time.
Buildings account for nearly 40% of global emissions. To address this pressing issue, Soletair Power is tackling emissions at the source, integrating direct air capture (DAC) technology into building ventilation systems. Its technology achieves net-zero and even negative emissions, providing an economically viable solution for capturing CO2, reducing energy consumption, and improving indoor air quality.
The company’s patented DAC technology is modular, scalable, and optimized for urban deployment. Requiring minimal additional infrastructure, it can be easily integrated across city environments.
Soletair Power innovates through a business model that embeds DAC technology into existing HVAC systems, transforming urban buildings into carbon sinks. Unlike traditional DAC systems, Soletair Power’s solution leverages existing infrastructure, therefore saving HVAC runtime costs for the building owners. Moreover, captured CO2 is repurposed for sustainable applications.
The company’s focus on urban integration democratises access to carbon capture for commercial and industrial sectors. As Rabius Sunny, Communications Lead at Soletair Power, explains: “By combining air quality benefits with energy savings and decarbonization, the business model addresses multiple sustainability challenges.”
Soletair Power’s modular, plug-and-play system can capture up to 20 tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to 3 hectares of 30-year-old Nordic forest. The company is gradually scaling its systems and steadily progressing to drive future DAC sector change through its innovative approach and growing partnerships. As Rabius notes: “Building-integrated DAC technology deployed in pilot projects across Germany, Denmark, the UAE, and Finland, demonstrates potential to redefine urban carbon capture by making buildings active carbon sinks”.
The company is also advancing the circular economy by partnering with companies such as Carbonaide, ALcarbo, Aarksee, and Liquid Sun, to repurpose captured CO2 in applications like concrete, microalgae, and sustainable fuels.
In September 2024, Soletair Power was selected to join the D2XCEL scaling program. During the program, it identified Hong Kong as an international entry point and has already secured partnerships to establish its presence there.
With seven commercial cases delivered to date, Solitair Power continues to demonstrate the scalability and cross-industry potential of its solution. As the company accelerates its efforts to expand its reach, its mission remains clear. In the words of Co-founder Ari Piispanen: “We’ve started with a dream to turn millions of buildings around the world into CO2-capturing machines and we are going forward with it.”
*Note:
Our case studies section illustrates the concrete impact of the D2XCEL scaling programme on selected ventures. They were chosen through a structured process based on mentor and group manager nominations and pre-defined criteria, prioritising companies that demonstrated measurable progress, strong relevance to societal and industrial challenges, innovative approaches, and clear potential for scalability. Together, the cases demonstrate how tailored support, international connections, and structured mentoring are translated into real outcomes across diverse sectors.
This project has received funding from the European Union under grant agreement Nº101121100. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.