Dutch renewable utility Eneco buys stake in virtual power plant operator Next Kraftwerke

Virtual power plant specialist Next Kraftwerke, one of Germany’s best known energy start-ups, has sold a minority stake of 34 percent to Dutch renewable utility Eneco. The deal would boost its expansion in Europe, and “contribute to the joint ambition of Eneco Group and Next Kraftwerke to accelerate the energy transition by means of technology, enabling more renewable and decentralized energy”, the company said in a press release.
Next Kraftwerke founder and CEO Jochen Schwill told the Clean Energy Wire “a certain size is necessary” for the next step in his company’s development. He said Next Kraftwerke chose the Dutch company as an investor over German utilities because Eneco’s orientation was a better fit, allowed his company to remain largely independent, and was a better stepping stone for European expansion.
Next Kraftwerke was founded in 2009 and calls itself “a power plant operator without any power plants.” It uses its network of more than 4,000 renewable installations with a total capacity exceeding 2.8 gigawatts to trade power and balance the grid.

Read the press release in English here.