The flexibility market is gaining traction in the electricity industry for two main reasons: the increasing generation of electricity from volatile renewable sources that need to be integrated into the grid, and the rising digitalisation of power grids, allowing decentralised market participants to generate revenue. This trend is clearly reflected in the range of start-ups featured at EM-Power Europe, part of The smarter E in Munich.
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Young companies offer customers the chance to optimise their power generation, storage and consumption to maximise revenue by intelligently controlling their system portfolios. This is achieved through leveraging price fluctuations in spot markets or providing system services remunerated by grid operators. The start-up business model often involves granting customers easy access to flexibility markets via smart software platforms, such as innovative software that runs on existing hardware.
Smartphone model: Controlling all consumers with a single device
Spine GmbH aims to intelligently control decentralized generation and consumption. Founded in Munich in February 2024 by three partners, all former senior figures at solar companies and self-described renewable energy enthusiasts, the company is developing a software platform for energy applications. This platform runs locally on a control box in the meter cabinet, with apps available for grid-serving control and market-oriented control, such as in conjunction with dynamic electricity tariffs.
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What sets this software apart is its ability to control all applications using a single device. "Think of it like a smartphone, where different applications run on one piece of hardware," explains co-founder and CEO Martin Stötzel. Installing separate boxes for each application in every meter cabinet is neither practical nor cost-effective, as it takes time, money, and valuable space. Spine targets utilities and electrical installers who want to offer their customers intelligent control of heat pumps, EV chargers, and storage systems. In turn, their customers are businesses and the housing sector, particularly those managing larger buildings.
Optimization based on market signals, even for small producers
Market-based control also offers the potential for additional revenue for electricity producers. Bohr Energie SAS, based in the French commune of Puygouzon, operates in this space. The company optimises production for operators of photovoltaic, hydropower, wind turbines, and battery storage systems, using market signals. Founded in 2020 by four partners – two from wholesale energy trading and two from the renewable energy power generation sector – Bohr Energie has been operational solely in France thus far, but is now expanding its focus to other European markets.
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Bohr Energie operates as an aggregator, bundling small outputs that can be traded in the market. The company highlights that even smaller electricity producers can benefit: “Our offering is aimed at all producers from 500 kilowatts upwards,” says Julien Haure, the company’s president. By remotely managing systems, Bohr Energie helps avoid losses related to negative pricing and maximises the value of power generation. System operators can access data at any time via an app. Haure emphasises that the low threshold for producers is the key feature that sets Bohr Energie apart from its competitors.
Revenue from marketing reactive power
Blindleister GmbH, based in Berlin, operates in a young market that is just beginning to emerge. Founded in 2025, the start-up aims to enable photovoltaic, wind turbine, and battery storage system operators to generate additional income by selling reactive power. This business model is viable because transmission system operators and large distribution system operators now seek reactive power, which is no longer provided as a standard by power plants in the established electricity industry. Any electricity producers or storage systems capable of feeding into grids of 110 kilovolts and above can participate in the market.
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Generating reactive power is possible thanks to access to the frequency converter controller at the power plant. Blindleister has developed cloud-based software that enables systems to use and maximise their grid service potential. The company then connects decentralised systems to a virtual power plant for reactive power. Co-founder and CEO Niklas Reinhardt explains: “Generally, you do not have to retrofit any hardware to the system.”
Network security on micro and macro levels
Increasing digitalisation within the electricity industry requires ever more sophisticated IT security solutions. Narrowin GmbH, founded in 2020 in Liestal in Switzerland, supplies security and network technology to companies and institutions with critical infrastructure that require enhanced protection for their IT and OT networks. OT stands for Operational Technology, which refers to networks of sensors and actuators that monitor and control systems and processes. As well as utilities, systemically relevant facilities such as hospitals are also being approached.
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One product from Narrowin that offers protection on a micro level is a network diode – a mini firewall that, as a plug-and-play device, can be switched between the end device and the network. For example, it can provide bidirectional protection for a transformer station in the power grid. This prevents malware from the grid spreading to vulnerable systems in the transformer station, as well as attacks from entering the grid via the transformer station – from an installation engineer’s laptop, for example.
Another product that offers protection on a macro level is the Network Explorer, a software that enables quick, in-depth insights into the existing network. It visualises and characterises the topology of a network, while gathering information about network devices and hosts, and helps identify measures that can improve network security and stability. Tim Senn, co-founder of Narrowin explains: “The software helps to understand the network of sensors and actuators, segment it, and troubleshoot malfunctions more quickly.”
Experience start-ups first hand in hall C5
All companies featured are part of the Start-up Area in hall C5 – the meeting point for innovative young companies with pioneering solutions for the energy future. Here visitors have the opportunity to meet the teams – including those from Spine, Bohr Energie, Blindleister and Narrowin – in person, discover technologies and gain new momentum when it comes to their own projects. Spanning an area of 4,000 square meters, around 150 start-ups will present their fresh ideas for smart grids and energy management.
EM-Power Europe and the parallel events Intersolar Europe, ees Europe and Power2Drive Europe, will take place from May 7–9 2025 as part of The smarter E Europe in Munich. (hcn)
