MicroSimHub

Simulate and optimize student microgrids for events in minutes—no PhD needed.

Score: 7.5/10ArgentinaMedium BuildReady to Spawn
Brand Colors

The Opportunity

Problem

University students developing renewable energy microgrids for events struggle with time constraints from classes and a lack of energy sector mentors who take them seriously.

Solution

MicroSimHub lets students input event specs and components to instantly simulate energy output, battery needs, and costs. AI suggests optimizations for solar/wind hybrids under class deadlines. Export plans and BOMs to build confidently without endless spreadsheets.

Target Audience

University students and student teams building renewable energy microgrids for campus events

Differentiator

Pre-loaded student event templates (festivals, fairs) with uni budget constraints, unlike pro tools too complex/expensive.

Brand Voice

friendly/professional

Features

Event Simulator

must-have15h

Input power needs, weather, components for real-time sims.

Component Library

must-have10h

Drag-drop panels, inverters from affordable vendors.

AI Optimizer

must-have12h

Suggests cost/energy tweaks for 24h events.

Report Generator

must-have8h

PDF exports with diagrams, BOM, risk analysis.

Template Gallery

must-have6h

Ready setups for common campus events.

Scenario Comparison

nice-to-have6h

A/B test designs side-by-side.

Weather Integration

nice-to-have8h

Pulls local forecast for accurate sims.

Shareable Links

nice-to-have4h

Collaborate with team/mentor.

Cost Tracker

future10h

Live vendor price updates.

Mobile App

future15h

On-site monitoring sim.

Total Build Time: 94 hours

Database Schema

users

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
emailtextNo
universitytextYes
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • simulations.user_id -> users.id

simulations

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
user_iduuidNo
titletextNo
event_typetextYes
config_jsonjsonbNo
results_jsonjsonbYes

Relationships:

  • user_id -> users.id

components

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
nametextNo
typetextNo
specs_jsonjsonbNo
priceintYes

templates

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
nametextNo
config_jsonjsonbNo

API Endpoints

POST
/api/simulate

Run simulation

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/simulations

List user sims

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/simulations/:id/export

Generate PDF

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/components

Fetch library

GET
/api/templates

List templates

POST
/api/optimize

AI suggestions

🔒 Auth Required

Tech Stack

Frontend
Next.js 14 + Tailwind + Shadcn/ui + React Flow for diagrams
Backend
Next.js API
Database
Supabase Postgres
Auth
Supabase Auth
Payments
Stripe
Hosting
Vercel
Additional Tools
Replicate/Vercel AI for sim enginePuppeteer for PDFsOpenWeather API

Build Timeline

Week 1: Auth + UI basics

20h
  • Signup
  • Dashboard
  • Component lib

Week 2: Simulator core

30h
  • Sim engine
  • Templates
  • Basic viz

Week 3: Optimizer + exports

25h
  • AI endpoint
  • PDF gen
  • Comparisons

Week 4: Polish + payments

15h
  • Sharing
  • Pricing
  • Landing

Week 5: Integrations

10h
  • Weather API
  • Tests

Week 6: Launch

10h
  • SEO
  • Analytics

Week 7: Nice-to-haves

8h
  • Scenario tool

Week 8: Iterate

5h
  • Feedback fixes
Total Timeline: 8 weeks • 123 hours

Pricing Tiers

Free

$0/mo

No exports/AI

  • 3 sims/mo
  • Basic templates

Pro

$27/mo

Solo

  • Unlimited sims
  • AI optimize
  • Exports
  • Advanced templates

Team

$97/mo

5 users

  • All Pro + collab
  • Custom templates
  • Priority compute

Revenue Projections

MonthUsersConversionMRRARR
Month 11502%$81$972
Month 61,2004%$1,296$15,552

Unit Economics

$12
CAC
$280
LTV
4%
Churn
88%
Margin
LTV:CAC Ratio: 23.3xExcellent!

Landing Page Copy

Design Event Microgrids Fast—No More Spreadsheet Hell

Simulate solar/wind setups for your campus event, get optimized plans instantly for student budgets.

Feature Highlights

Real-time energy sims
AI cost savers
Event templates
Pro PDF exports

Social Proof (Placeholders)

"'Nailed our hackathon grid!' - Stanford Team"
"'Saved hours on calcs.' - Berkeley Renewables"

First Three Customers

Share MVP sim on university engineering Discords/Reddits (r/engineeringstudents), email solar club leads from 5 unis, comp free Pro for case studies shared on LinkedIn.

Launch Channels

Product Huntr/SaaSr/solarpunkHacker NewsIndie Hackers

SEO Keywords

student microgrid simulatorrenewable microgrid design toolsolar event power calculatoruniversity microgrid planner

Competitive Analysis

$1000+/yr
Strength

Accurate sims

Weakness

Enterprise only, steep learning

Our Advantage

Student-simple, event-focused

PV*SOL

pvsol.com
€500+
Strength

Detailed PV

Weakness

No hybrids/events

Our Advantage

Affordable, quick templates

🏰 Moat Strategy

Data moat from user sims improving AI/templates, network via shared designs.

⏰ Why Now?

Event season peaks + AI sim tech maturity (2024) + student green mandates.

Risks & Mitigation

technicalhigh severity

Sim accuracy issues

Mitigation

Validate vs open models, user feedback

marketmedium severity

Niche too small

Mitigation

Track waitlist, pivot to general renew

Validation Roadmap

pre-build5 days

Survey 30 students on sim pains

Success: 70% would pay $27

mvp10 days

No-code prototype test

Success: 20 trials

Pivot Options

  • General renewable sim
  • Procurement marketplace
  • Monitoring dashboard

Quick Stats

Build Time
123h
Target MRR (6 mo)
$1,300
Market Size
$4.0M
Features
10
Database Tables
4
API Endpoints
6
MicroSimHub - Complete Startup Blueprint | Startup Tribunal