E.ON has bought a stake in b.ventus, a German start-up offering a single-source solution for wind power generation for business customers.
According to E.ON, the start-up’s centerpiece is a wind turbine with a hub height of 30 meters. It can be installed quickly, does not require a lengthy permitting process, and can be integrated with a customer’s existing embedded generation facilities, such as a cogeneration unit or solar array. E.ON made the investment as part of :agile, its accelerator and incubator to support energy-related start-ups.
b.ventus handles everything from installation to operations. Permitting, which is not subject to Germany’s regional planning process or the Federal Immission Control Act, takes only a few months. b.ventus will maintain and, if necessary, repair the turbine. Ideally, a customer’s investment in the turbine will pay for itself in six years, says E.ON.
Avacon and E.DIS, two of E.ON’s regional energy supply companies in Germany, acquired the stakes in b.ventus. E.ON Kundenservice Netz, Fallersleber Elektrizitäts-Aktiengesellschaft and the Leitner Group also have shares in the company.
“We chose b. ventus as a partner because the company has developed a promising, innovative business idea that we want to ramp up,” says Alexander Montebaur, CEO of E.DIS.
