# Competitive Landscape — Paris Solar Scorecard **Last updated:** 2026-07-08 by Doc **Status:** Complete landscape scan. Strategic pivot needed. --- ## CONFIRMED COMPETITORS ### 1. Mon potentiel solaire (Île-de-France Smart Services) **URL:** https://monpotentielsolaire.smartidf.services/fr **Producer:** Région Île-de-France + L'Institut Paris Région **Coverage:** ALL of Île-de-France (including Paris proper) **Cost:** Free, public service **Features:** - Individual roof assessment ("mon toit") - Parking lot solar potential ("mon parking") - Municipal-level analysis ("mon territoire") - Project guidance steps - Partner/interlocutor directory - Geolocation + address search **Real user experience (Christian tested 2026-07-08):** - **"Super slow"** — performance is a real problem - Typical government UI: functional but not delightful **What's missing:** - Copropriété-specific guidance (no AG motion, no legal framework) - No viral/sharable design (typical government UI) - Action stops at "find an installer" — no workflow for copropriété approval - No installer tools (it's a consumer info site, not a professional tool) **Verdict:** Dominant public player with legitimacy and coverage, but poor UX and no copropriété depth. We compete on speed + actionability, not coverage. --- ### 2. Potentielsolaire.com **URL:** https://www.potentielsolaire.com **Type:** Private company (lead gen for installers) **Coverage:** All France **Cost:** Free (no registration) **Features:** - Satellite roof analysis (Google Solar + PVGIS) - Panel placement simulation - Cost estimate (material + installation + battery) - 20-year profitability projection - Consumption + autoconsumption modeling **Real user experience (Christian tested 2026-07-08):** - **Forces phone/email capture BEFORE showing results** — high friction - Once results shown, **only CTA is "copy link"** — zero actionable guidance - No "what do I do now" flow - Tested as "locataire" — perhaps explains weak CTA, but still no guidance for any persona **Explicit copropriété gap:** *"Pour un appartement en copropriété, une étude spécifique auprès d'un installateur RGE est nécessaire."* They punt entirely on copropriété. Individual houses only. **Verdict:** Great UX and UI (Christian confirms), but dead-end funnel. No actionability. That's our wedge. --- ### 3. Municipal Cadastre Solaires (various) **Examples:** Paris Ouest La Défense, numerous communes/EPCIs **Vendors:** Archelios MAP, Cythelia **Coverage:** Municipality-specific **Features:** - Precise roof mapping (LIDAR-derived) - Shading analysis - Economic simulation - ALEP/ALEC orientation **Verdict:** Government-funded, buried on municipal websites, zero virality. Not a consumer product. --- ### 4. Archelios MAP / Cythelia **Type:** B2B vendors to municipalities **Customers:** 100+ collectivities **Claim:** "Most precise PV software in the world" (international benchmarked) **Pricing:** ~€20,000 per municipality (Paris Ouest La Défense paid €20,700) **Verdict:** Not a consumer/competitor. Municipal infrastructure vendor. --- ## WHAT NONE OF THEM DO (Validated by user testing) | Feature | Mon potentiel solaire | Potentielsolaire | Municipal cadastres | MultiplyMe opportunity | |---|---|---|---|---| | Map all Paris buildings | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ (not differentiated alone) | | Individual roof score | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ (not differentiated alone) | | Cost/savings estimate | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ (not differentiated alone) | | **Fast, beautiful UX** | ❌ ("super slow") | ✅ | ❌ | **✅** | | **Strong post-analysis CTA** | ❌ | ❌ (only "copy link") | ❌ | **✅** | | **Copropriété AG motion** | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | **✅** | | **Copropriété legal guidance** | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | **✅** | | **What-do-I-do-now workflow** | ❌ (stops at installer list) | ❌ (stops at "copy link") | ❌ | **✅** | | **Syndic workflow tool** | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | **✅** | | **Installer back-office integration** | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | **✅** | | Viral/sharable map design | ❌ | ⚠️ (nice but not viral) | ❌ | Could try | --- ## STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS ### The Map Is NOT the Product A solar map of Paris buildings already exists, is free, and is government-backed. Building another map — even a prettier one — is not a defensible strategy. ### The Real Gaps Are: 1. **Copropriété action layer** — what happens AFTER someone sees their building has solar potential 2. **Installer workflow integration** — the tool that helps installers close copropriété deals 3. **Syndic administrative automation** — AG motion generation, subsidy paperwork, compliance ### The Pivot (Updated: Real User Testing Changes This) **Stop:** Building a generic solar map of buildings **Start:** Building a **fast, beautiful map with a real action layer** — specifically for copropriétés The testing reveals: 1. Mon potentiel solaire is **too slow** to be delightful 2. Potentielsolaire is **beautiful but a dead end** — forces contact capture, then offers nothing actionable 3. Neither tool helps copropriétés actually move forward **Our competitive edge is the combination:** - Map quality = Potentielsolaire-level beauty - Performance = fast (not Mon potentiel solaire slow) - Actionability = what neither has: the copropriété workflow (AG motion, installer matching, legal guidance) ### Updated Paths Forward **Path A: "Fast Map + Action Layer" (Recommended)** - Build a fast, beautiful address-based solar scorecard (not necessarily a full building-by-building map) - The CTA is not "get an estimate" — it's "get your building's AG-ready action plan" - Target: copropriétaires who want to act but don't know how - Distribution: Facebook groups, Reddit, HN **Path B: "No Map, Pure Action Layer"** - Skip map entirely - Build AG motion generator + legal guidance + installer matching - Traffic: Facebook groups + SEO for "solaire copropriété AG" queries - Risk: harder to make viral without a visual hook **Path C: Kill It** - Free tools exist, move on to MultiplyMe My updated recommendation: **Path A**. The testing shows Potentielsolaire's funnel is broken at the exact moment we could win. Speed + beauty + actionability is the combo nobody has. --- ## RED LINES (Updated) - **Do NOT build "yet another solar cadastre."** Mon potentiel solaire and Potentielsolaire already exist. - **Do NOT compete on map accuracy.** Archelios MAP is backed by LIDAR and municipal budgets. - **DO build what the government tools can't/won't:** copropriété-specific workflows, legal documents, and installer integration. --- ## NEXT STEP DECISION **Question for Christian:** Which path? - **A)** Build a **fast, beautiful solar scorecard** (address lookup → instant score) with a **real action layer** at the end ("Get your building's AG-ready action plan"). No full building-by-building map needed — just a fast, gorgeous single-address tool. Distribution: Facebook groups, Reddit, HN. - **B)** Build the **full building-by-building Paris map** (MapLibre + colored buildings) + action layer. Higher build cost but maximum virality and press potential. - **C)** Skip map entirely. Pure AG motion generator + legal guidance. Harder to make viral. - **D)** Kill it. Free tools exist. **My updated recommendation: A.** Why: - Mon potentiel solaire proves the demand (government backing = market validation) - Your testing proves the execution gap (slow UI, dead-end funnel) - Potentielsolaire proves a beautiful UX is possible but they drop the ball at the critical conversion moment - A fast single-address scorecard is 10x faster to build than a full map but captures the same viral hook - The action layer (AG motion + legal guidance + installer matching) is the real value nobody has **Minimum viable version:** One-page site, address search, instant solar score, then "Get your building's AG action plan" email capture. Built in 2-3 days. Tested in Facebook groups in week 1.