Sandra Enkhardt

Shell has completed the sale of German residential battery storage provider Sonnen to asset manager and family office Tiven. The new owner reportedly plans to restructure Sonnen, although details of its strategy have not been disclosed.

Leag has started construction of a 400 MW/1.6 GWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at the Boxberg power plant site in Saxony, Germany. Leag Clean Power, Hyperstrong, and Siemens Energy are involved in the construction of the project, known as GigaBattery Boxberg 400.

Germany's transmission system operators have doubled their projections for large-scale battery storage by 2040, while slightly reducing their assumptions for residential storage.

The European Commission has approved Germany's capacity mechanism, clearing the way for up to €35.2 billion in state support for generation, storage and demand-side flexibility. The scheme will use competitive auctions and require new gas-fired power plants to be hydrogen-ready, with climate-neutral operation required by 2045.

Furo and Luox Energy are combining their solutions to generate additional revenue from commercial and industrial (C&I) battery storage in Germany. The companies will test 15-minute optimization under real-world operating conditions in pilot projects.

European battery storage installations are expected to grow 78% this year, with Germany, Bulgaria, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Spain leading the market, according to EUPD Research.

Enerparc AG has entered preliminary insolvency proceedings in Germany, with the filing currently limited to the parent company. The move comes months after the solar developer secured a €1 billion financing package to expand its solar and battery portfolio.

Six air-raid alerts on the first day, backup generators on almost every street corner, and discussions about the rapid reconstruction of severely damaged energy infrastructure: my trip to Kyiv and Lviv showed me why decentralized solar and energy storage are far more than climate technologies for Ukraine. They are part of the country's security architecture. They also underscore why German solar companies should be engaging with Ukraine today.

Switzerland's largest battery storage facility has begun operations in Gurtnellen, combining 50 MW and 8.4 MW systems developed by Axpo and Energie Uri. The Fluence-supplied project will support grid flexibility.

Enerparc sister company Pvwerk has filed for restructuring under self-administration, while continuing its business operations. The company aims to complete around 100 solar and battery storage projects commissioned by Enerparc that are currently under construction.