In addition to units from the photovoltaic, wind, hydropower and bioenergy sectors, the Virtual Power Plant “Next Pool” also includes power consumers and storage units. Next Kraftwerke uses an intelligent control system to network and control over 13,000 decentralized plants. Thus, the company contributes to stabilizing the power grid and trades the electricity on various European energy exchanges.
Renewable energies have long been a central part of the power supply. In the face of the continuous increase in volatile energy sources, the coordination and control of the plants in particular is playing an increasingly important role today.
Largest solar power trader in Germany today
Next Kraftwerke started in 2009 with the idea of bundling emergency generators and biogas plants to meet the megawatt requirement and thus gain access to the German balancing energy market. Gradually, the company developed into one of the larger Virtual Power Plants in Europe. The company is now present in eight European countries.
See also: Aiming to bring storage and virtual power plants to Northern Ireland
From 2018 until today, the company has more than doubled its capacity under management from 4,600 megawatts to 10,000 megawatts. Over 6,000 megawatts of this capacity comes from solar power, making Next Kraftwerke, according to the company, the largest solar power trader in Germany today. In addition to trading services via its own Virtual Power Plant, Next Kraftwerke also offers a VPP-as-a-Service solution. (mfo)
