How did the Intersolar in Munich go for Sonnen?
Oliver Koch: From the morning of the first day of the fair on Wednesday, our stand was buzzing. We were there with 80 people, so we were prepared for a rush. That it would go so well surprised me. All the staff hardly had a break and were constantly talking to each other.
How is demand developing so far this year?
We are approaching the 1000,000 storage units with big steps since we started with the Sonnenbatterie. We have already made significant gains this year. After the first quarter, we were around 70 per cent up on the same period last year.
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Are you able to deliver?
For our regular customers, yes. It can be more difficult with new customers. We have just expanded our factory in Wildpoldsried to a capacity of 120,000 storage systems per year. However, the supply chain has to follow suit. I'm sure I won't let you in on a secret that there is a bottleneck in electronic components at the moment.
You continue to expand. How is that reflected in the number of employees?
At the beginning of the year we had 850 people, in March 2022 already 1,000. In mid-May we already had 1,050 employees. This shows you the speed of our expansion. By the end of 2022 we will have around 1,300 people. It is a big challenge to manage the growth.
Is it an advantage for you in this situation that Sonnen belongs to the Shell Group?
We have a good stock in the warehouse and thus ensure high delivery availability. Through our parent company, we can rely on people in Asia who can do quality control on site in China. From Europe, this would be almost impossible due to the strict lockdowns. Shell also helps with supplier selection and payment terms. Our warranties are considered more valuable by customers because Shell is in the background.
What new products have you brought to Munich?
First of all, our Sonnenbatterie 10 performance, which now offers 9.9 kilowatts and can be cascaded up to 495 kilowatt hours. In Spain, we have linked a system of nine storage units with 27.5 kilowatt hours each. This supplies e-vans that charge with solar power in the evening. The Sonnenbatterie 10 performance with 9.9 kW will be introduced in mid-2022.
You have also promised Sonnen customers that you will exempt them entirely from the EEG. How does that work?
You are alluding to our Sonnen Flat direct, which we announced shortly before the trade fair. We will launch it in Q3 2022. We sell the solar power of our storage customers via direct marketing on the EEX power exchange in Leipzig. Due to the high trading prices, we receive higher revenues this way than through the feed-in tariff. This means that our customers receive more free electricity, with which we let them share in our revenues.
Up to now, the Sonnen Flat included a profit share for solar customers. Will this be abolished now?
No, it will remain. Even with Sonnen Flat direct, our customers receive between 77 and 119 euros per year, which we generate through our virtual power plant. Such questions of economic efficiency are very important for storage customers. However, we are currently noticing that energy security is gaining in importance. This clearly has to do with Covid, but also with the war in Ukraine. (HS/mfo)
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