Press release | Bnewable, specialised in smart energy storage for businesses, enters the German market
Belgian energy orchestrator Bnewable, founded in 2022 and specialised in battery systems and energy management for businesses, is expanding into Germany. This international step follows just four months after the company raised €40 million in growth capital. Operating from Oldenburg (near Bremen) and Munich, Bnewable will address an underserved niche in the German market: smart battery storage and energy management for industrial companies. With this move, Bnewable turns its European growth strategy into reality and strengthens its ambition to play a key role in Europe’s energy transition. For existing Bnewable customers, this means they can now also be supported in Germany by a local team.
Bnewable Germany will be led by Fabian Knoch and Max Kronberg, both PhDs in physics and mathematics respectively, and seasoned energy experts who previously worked together at Be.storaged GmbH, a corporate start-up of Germany’s EWE Group. With offices in Oldenburg and Munich, Bnewable Germany launches with a five-person local team, including experts in algorithmic energy trading, R&D, and BESS project development. A sixth expert will join the team in June. “German companies, like those in Belgium, are facing high electricity prices while needing to decarbonise rapidly to meet European climate targets. We believe in building solutions that work, together with clients who want to make a real impact. Germany has the scale, the industrial backbone, and the political will to drive Europe’s energy transition. While Germany already has a strong domestic market for residential batteries, the commercial and industrial storage segment is still emerging. With Bnewable, we are filling this gap with a full-service storage and energy management solution. By offering project management, investment, and battery operations through our proprietary platform, we can carve out a unique position in the market,” says Fabian Knoch, Co-Managing Director of Bnewable Germany.
At the end of 2024, Bnewable secured €40 million in additional growth capital from existing investors, not only to accelerate its growth strategy in Belgium but also to realise its European ambitions in the energy transition. The choice of Germany as the first foreign expansion market is deliberate.
The German and Belgian energy markets share important similarities. Both countries have strong manufacturing industries, dense electricity grids, and growing dependence on renewable energy sources. This makes flexibility and continuity essential. Solar and wind power are highly developed in both markets, and like Belgium, Germany is seeing a surge in battery start-ups. Both countries are also under pressure to decarbonise their industries to remain globally competitive. At the same time, industrial companies struggle with high energy costs, electrification demands, and the need to decarbonise processes. Many companies lack the capital, knowledge, or internal resources to invest in battery storage themselves.
“Our aim is to help German companies mitigate the impact of electricity price volatility and maximise the value of their renewable energy production,” explains Kristof Vereenooghe, Co-Founder of Bnewable. “Bnewable addresses these challenges through a comprehensive approach via our Battery-as-a-Service model, offering investment, installation, smart energy management, and algorithmic energy trading through our proprietary Energy Management Platform, Voltana. We also work with our international clients to explore how they can benefit from our new presence in Germany.”
“With Bnewable Germany, we offer companies a solution to the complexity of the energy transition and aim to ease the pressure on industry. Managing this complexity and speeding up the transition requires more than just generating renewable energy – it demands smart energy management and storage,” adds Max Kronberg, Co-Managing Director of Bnewable Germany.
Guy Vanderhaegen joins Board of Directors
While Bnewable spreads its wings in Germany, the Belgian home market remains a major focus. The company continues to expand its project portfolio, with over 100 MWh of battery capacity under development. Bnewable also recently strengthened its strategic foundation with the appointment of Guy Vanderhaegen, co-founder of Origis Energy and a pioneer in renewable energy development, as Independent Chair of the Board. Since 2008, Guy has built Origis Energy into a leading player in Europe and the US. Today, Origis Energy is one of the market leaders in the United States for solar parks and energy storage development.
