Three strategic M&A transactions announced in Germany

From pv magazine Germany

Three M&A transactions relating to solar and storage have been announced today in Germany.

The first came from German solar inverter manufacturer, Kaco, which has decided to takeover storage system provider Energy Depot. Through this operation, Kaco wants to complement its range of energy storage systems with a commercially available hybrid inverter, and obtain further development expertise.

The existing customer relationships of Energy Depot should therefore be continued and expanded, while the production site of the new unit will be maintained. The staff of Energy Depot have already informed and will be integrated into Kaco's global development team.

According to Kaco, Energy Depot has developed technically excellent storage solutions. “Combined with Kaco New Energy's market access and manufacturing know-how, it creates an excellent combination that promises long-term success,” says Kaco CEO Ralf Hofmann, explaining the strategic decision. Energy Depot's products include the Centurio 10 hybrid inverter, which combines solar and battery inverters in one unit.

Kaco launched a bidirectional inverter in the spring and now wants to tap into the fast-expanding market for private and small commercial energy storage devices in combination with Energy Depot's products.

A second transaction was announced by Enovos Deutschland, which has agreed to acquire the O&M arm of German solar developer, Wirsol. The two companies said in a joint press release that Enovos has also taken over management and maintenance contracts from Wircon to a considerable extent.

“As a result, Enovos has increased the volume of assets it manages to over 1,000 megawatts, making it Germany's largest manufacturer-independent O&M PV service provider,” the press release said. The takeover of eight employees of Wirsol O&M is also connected with the acquisition of the shares, it added.

The third deal was made by Rolls-Royce, which made a strategic investment in German storage system supplier, Qinous. Details on the extent and the amount of the participation, however, have not been disclosed.

According to the management, Qinous is on a clear growth path and is expected to triple its sales in the current year, compared to 2017 to almost €6 million. “The cooperation with Rolls-Royce will give our sales business an additional push,” said Qinous Managing Director, Steffen Heinrich.

Rolls-Royce is investing in the Berlin start-up to integrate its portfolio with turnkey microgrids. “As a strategic investor, we want to cooperate with Qinous in the development of innovative energy storage solutions and jointly offer environmentally friendly solutions for the future,” said Managing Director, Marcus A. Wassenberg.

From the point of view of both companies, microgrids can intelligently combine renewable energies, combined heat and power plants, and diesel and gas aggregates with batteries and control systems. Qinous has previously used Rolls-Royce MTU onsite energy systems to integrate battery storage and power systems into microgrids. With Rolls-Royce's investments, the existing product portfolio is set to be further developed and global sales activities strengthened.