Horizonte Group, Metelligent and Einklang target battery storage for C&I customers
Lucerne, Switzerland-based Horizonte Group AG is developing a joint battery storage service with its subsidiaries Horizonte-Group Technik (HGT), based in Cologne, and Metelligent, a joint venture with German energy supplier EAM. Cologne-based energy supplier Einklang NE Solutions, also known as Einklang Energy, is the third partner.
The companies aim to provide a joint implementation service for manufacturing companies, logistics operators and retailers with annual electricity consumption of around 250 MWh or more that want to optimize battery storage under Germany’s planned Market Integration of Storage and Charging Points (MiSpeL) rules.
HGT will handle installation, project planning and registration of metering concepts, while Metelligent will install meters for registered power metering (RLM). Einklang will be responsible for operating, optimizing and marketing the battery systems. The partners are targeting 50 joint projects in the first year.
A competitive metering point operator will be responsible for metering point operations in each project.
Germany’s Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) published an updated working version of its MiSpeL rules in early August. The rules are scheduled to take effect on Oct. 1, subject to transitional periods.
The partnership is targeting a market expected to emerge from a provision known as the separation option. It would allow battery storage systems to charge from both photovoltaic installations and the grid without affecting the PV system’s eligibility for support.
The companies said this configuration must be implemented from the outset. “Anyone who only adds the metering concept later is giving up the benefits of the separation option,” said Marko Dreskrüger, managing director of HGT.
The main bottleneck for such projects is the metering concept, which requires electricity volumes to be allocated at 15-minute intervals according to specified calculation formulas. This requires RLM meters at different metering points and must be incorporated into project planning from the beginning.
The partners expect their joint approach to reduce project timelines by improving coordination between different trades.
MiSpeL is also expected to significantly change the economics of battery storage projects. “A battery that only cuts peak loads uses a fraction of its potential,” said Lucas Jonas, CEO of Einklang. “From October, it can trade, and that means operations management will determine what a project ultimately earns.”
The companies said similar projects have often stalled because of regulatory uncertainty. They now expect demand to increase significantly, with the first joint projects already in preparation.
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