When we talk about cybersecurity in photovoltaics today, we often only mention technology. We talk less about the people behind it. That is why we want to introduce you to the specific faces developing the first photovoltaic shield. Guardexy did not originate as a mere “product idea.” It was born from specific experience and the expertise of a team that met at the right time at SOLSOL.
The moment everything clicked
Martin Novák, CTO of SOLSOL, clearly remembers the moment when, as part of the development of the ALFRED.energy smart management system, his team began to remotely manage and command power plants. Suddenly, it was possible to intervene in operations efficiently, quickly, and digitally. It was at that moment that it became fully apparent how much of the photovoltaic sector is completely unsecured against hacker attacks.
It was an unsettling realization that with the increasing digitalization of the energy sector in the Czech Republic, the responsibility of every owner, municipality, and company also grows.
At the same time, Matúš and Svetozár Nosek were operating their startup, Manosens. They started back at the Brno University of Technology as a typical student project, gradually moving from custom development to their own products. Hardware, firmware, and operating systems were their daily work.
The connection happened naturally. During a meeting at SOLSOL, they connected a prototype device directly to the company’s power plant. What was originally intended to be a side experiment suddenly began to look like a standalone project with significant potential.
Combining three perspectives on one problem
Each of the core team members brings a different perspective. Matúš focuses on hardware and device design. Svetozár oversees the operating system and technical architecture.
Martin brings deep knowledge of photovoltaics, the market, and legislation. Furthermore, the project is managed operationally by David Klíma. “We have managed to create a combination of the IT world and the energy sector. Two fields that developed separately for a long time are meeting much more intensely in Guardexy,” explains Martin Novák.
Guardexy is thus naturally created at the intersection of these worlds: as a physical device installed at the power plant that monitors inverter communication and helps detect non-standard behavior.
The reality of development
In the relatively small Guardexy team, everyone knows exactly what they are responsible for, while also understanding what the others are solving. This combination is proving to be key in developing a device that integrates energy, hardware, firmware, and cloud technologies.
Anything can be "hacked"
And photovoltaics, unfortunately, is no exception. In the Czech Republic, hundreds of thousands of inverters are connected to the internet, becoming part of a digitally managed energy grid. An individual system may seem small and insignificant. In aggregate, however, they form a network that has a real impact on the stability of the energy infrastructure. If it remains without adequate cyber protection, it doesn’t just create an individual risk for a household or company—it creates a systemic weakness.
If our photovoltaics are to be smart and interconnected, they must also be protected. And that starts with every single power source.