EM-Power Europe: Start-Ups Provide Smart Solutions for Smart Grids
The flexibility market is gaining ground within the electricity industry. The reasons for this are twofold. Firstly, there is more and more electricity generated from volatile renewable sources of energy that has to be integrated into the grid. And secondly, the increasing digitalization of power grids means that even decentralized market players can use flexibility to generate revenue. This development is clearly reflected in the broad spectrum of start-ups at EM-Power Europe in hall C5. The international exhibition for energy management and integrated energy solutions brings together pioneers, thinkers and decision-makers, global players, and young innovative companies in Munich from May 7–9. EM-Power Europe is part of The smarter E Europe, Europe’s largest alliance of exhibitions for the energy industry. Around 3,000 exhibitors and more than 110,000 visitors are expected to attend the four exhibitions.
Young companies provide their customers with the opportunity to optimize their power generation, storage, and consumption in such a way that maximizes their revenue, by intelligently controlling their system portfolios. This is achieved by using price fluctuations in the spot markets or providing system services that are remunerated by grid operators. The start-up business model often consists of granting their customers user-friendly access to the flexibility markets via smart software platforms, such as innovative software that can run on existing hardware.
Smartphone Model: Controlling All Consumers with a Single DeviceSpine GmbH’s goal is to control decentralized generation and consumption in an intelligent way. The company was founded in Munich in February 2024 by three partners, who previously held senior positions at solar companies and describe themselves as renewable energy enthusiasts. The company is developing a software platform for energy applications that runs locally on a control box in the meter cabinet. Apps for grid-serving control as well as apps for market-oriented control, for example in conjunction with dynamic electricity tariffs, can be installed on the platform. But what sets this software apart is its ability to control all applications using a single device. “You have to think of it like a smartphone, where different applications run on one piece of hardware,” explains co-founder and CEO Martin Stötzel. After all, it is not practical to install a separate box, which only fulfils certain functions, for each application in every meter cabinet. This costs time and money, as well as space in the meter cabinet. Spine’s target groups are utilities and electrical installers who want to offer their customers a way to intelligently control heat pumps, electric vehicle (EV) chargers, and storage systems. In turn, their target groups are businesses and the housing industry with larger buildings.
Optimization Based on Market Signals, Even for Small ProducersMarket-based control can also generate additional revenue for electricity producers. Bohr Energie SAS from the French Puygouzon commune falls within this segment. Based on market signals, the company optimizes production for photovoltaic, hydropower, wind turbine, and battery storage system operators. The start-up was founded in 2020 by four partners; two from wholesale energy trading and two from the renewable energy power generation industry. So far, the company has only been operational in France, but it is now turning its attention to other European markets. Bohr Energie acts as an aggregator in the sense that it also bundles small outputs that can be traded in the market. The company points out that even small electricity producers can benefit: “Our offering is aimed at all producers from 500 kilowatts upwards,” says Julien Haure, president of the company. By managing systems remotely, they can avoid issues such as losses linked to negative pricing and maximize the value of power generation. The system operator can access the data at any time via an app. Haure emphasizes the low threshold for producers as the key feature that sets Bohr Energie apart from its competitors.
Revenue from Marketing Reactive PowerBlindleister GmbH from Berlin serves a young market that is only just beginning to emerge. The start-up, founded in 2025, wants to enable photovoltaic, wind turbine, and battery storage system operators to generate additional income by selling reactive power. This business model worked because transmission system operators and large distribution system operators now advertise the supply of reactive power, which is no longer provided as standard by power plants within the established electricity industry. All electricity producers or storage systems that are capable of feeding into grids of 110 kilovolts and above can participate in the market. 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 maximize their grid service potential. The company then connects decentralized 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 LevelsIncreasing digitalization within the electricity industry requires ever more sophisticated information technology (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. 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 bi-directional 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 visualizes and characterizes 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, cofounder 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 C5All 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, Europe’s largest alliance of exhibitions for the energy industry, at Messe München.
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