E.ON invests in wind turbines for business customers

E.ON has bought a stake in b.ventus, a startup whose single-source solution enables business customers to begin producing their own wind power quickly and easily. The centerpiece is a wind turbine specifically designed for this role. With a hub height of at least 30 meters, the turbine can be installed quickly and does not require a lengthy permitting process. It can also 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 startups.

b.ventus handles everything for its customers, from installation to operations. Permitting, which is not subject to Germany’s regional planning process or the Federal Immission Control Act, only takes a few months. b.ventus will maintain and, if necessary, repair the turbine. The company guarantees 95 percent availability. Ideally, a customer’s investment in the turbine will pay for itself in just six years.

Avacon and E.DIS, two of E.ON’s regional energy supply companies in Germany, acquired stakes in b.ventus. E.ON Kundenservice Netz, Fallersleber Elektrizitäts-Aktiengesellschaft (FEAG), and the Leitner Group, who has been working with Leitwind in the production of wind turbines for 10 years, 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, explaining E.ON´s investment. “This also gives us the opportunity to work closely with other E.ON companies, a renowned medium-sized enterprise, and one of our regional partners.”

Image Source: E.ON