Royal Dutch Shell has agreed to acquire a 100-per-cent stake in Sonnen, a German domestic energy storage provider, for an undisclosed sum.
Sonnen offers storage and digital energy services through its SonnenCommunity platform with the SonnenBatterie (pictured) allowing the use of solar power in a home while supplying energy at night using stored power from the daytime.
The firm makes solar-powered lithium-ion battery packs for homeowners and considers itself a competitor to Tesla and Samsung.
Shell New Energies chief Mark Gainsborough said: “Sonnen is one of the global leaders in smart, distributed energy storage systems and has a track record of customer-focused innovation.
“Full ownership of Sonnen will allow us to offer more choice to customers seeking reliable, affordable and cleaner energy.
“Together, we can accelerate the building of a customer-focused energy system in support of Shell’s strategy to offer more and cleaner energy solutions to customers.”
Shell New Energies was established in 2016 to work on renewables such as advanced biofuels and hydrogen alongside every stage of power delivery, from generating, buying and selling electricity, to supplying it directly to customers. It has a budget of up to US$2 billion a year until 2020.
The deal was carried out by Shell after a US$60-million investment in Germany last May.
“Together, we can accelerate the building of a customer-focused energy system in support of Shell’s strategy to offer more and cleaner energy solutions to customers,” Gainsborough added.
If it acquires regulatory approval, Sonnen will become a subsidiary of Shell, which said the deal would allow electric-vehicle charging solutions and grid services using Sonnen’s virtual battery pool.
In December, Sonnen and its technology partner, Tiko Energy Solutions, put what they said was Germany’s biggest virtual battery into operation, consisting of thousands of individual domestic batteries that respond collectively to fluctuations in the power grid.
Sonnen CEO Christoph Ostermann said: “Shell New Energies is the perfect partner for helping us grow in a market that is expanding rapidly.
“With this investment, we’re excited to help more households to become energy independent and benefit from new opportunities in the energy market. Shell will help drive the growth of Sonnen to a new level and help speed up the transformation of the energy system.”
In October 2018, the oil and gas giant joined the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) to boost its renewable offshore wind power sector as part of its green strategy.
The SonnenBatterie. Picture credit: Wikimedia
