CMBlu Energy
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersAlzenau, Germany
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What CMBlu Energy does
CMBlu Energy AG is a German deep-technology company founded in 2014 and headquartered in Alzenau, near Frankfurt, that develops and manufactures long-duration energy storage systems based on its proprietary 'SolidFlow' architecture. SolidFlow combines the scalability and longevity of organic redox-flow batteries with the energy density of solid-state storage, using aqueous, water-based, non-flammable electrolytes and carbon-based organic molecules built from earth-abundant raw materials (no lithium, cobalt, nickel, or rare earths). The product is a 10 kW / 100 kWh modular unit with up to 75-85% round-trip efficiency, ~20,000 charge cycles, a 10-20 year lifetime, and independently scalable power and capacity, with company-stated unit economics of ~$15M CAPEX per GWh (vs ~$100M for lithium-ion) and an LCOS 'as little as 5¢/kWh'.
The company serves three primary customer segments — Grid & Utilities (Uniper, PPC, Burgenland Energie, WEC Energy Group), Data Centers (positioned around hyperscale and AI-driven multi-hour backup), and Commercial & Industrial (peak shaving, demand-charge reduction, on-site renewables) — through direct enterprise sales, supplemented by a strategic channel partnership with STRABAG SE and public-sector grant-driven expansion in Greece. Revenue mechanics combine hardware/battery system sales (e.g., the 11 MWh Mercedes-Benz Rastatt order in 2024), long-term framework supply agreements (e.g., the conditional 5 GWh Uniper agreement through 2037), and multi-year service and maintenance agreements. CMBlu operates a wholly-owned automated gigafactory in Alzenau (1 GWh live, up to 4 GWh) with ABB as robotic partner and has gigafactories under construction in Greece (target 2027, backed by a €30M RRF grant) and planning in the United States (production from 2029), targeting more than 10 GWh of on- and off-grid capacity by 2029. The company crossed a €1 billion valuation in April 2026 with an initial €50M close of a Series C led by Samsung Ventures, having previously raised a €100M strategic equity investment from STRABAG SE (October 2023).
CMBlu Energy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CMBlu Energy
- Legal name
- CMBlu Energy AG
- Website
- https://cmblu.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CMBlu Energy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Long-Duration Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
- NAICS
- Battery Manufacturing (33591), Battery Manufacturing (335910)
- SIC
- Electronic Coils, Transformers & Other Inductors (3677), Electric Housewares & Fans (3634)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Solid-State Battery Materials & Cell Manufacturing (EUAFABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Battery Modules & Packs (Industrial/Commercial pack assembly) (IMAGAHAB), Battery Management Systems (BMS) & Pack Electronics Manufacturing (EUAFABAJ)
Keywords
Where CMBlu Energy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Alzenau
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
CMBlu Energy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware / Battery System Sales: Sells SolidFlow battery modules and full storage systems to enterprise customers (e.g., 11 MWh order from Mercedes-Benz for Rastatt plant). Large, project-based hardware sales of multi-megawatt battery systems.
- Long-Term Service & Maintenance Agreements: Parties to the Uniper framework agreement intend to conclude long-term service and maintenance agreements to ensure reliable, high-performance operation of the storage systems over their entire multi-decade service life.
- Multi-Year Framework Supply Agreements: Long-duration framework supply agreements (e.g., 5 GWh conditional supply agreement with Uniper running until 2037, with call-offs in tranches of at least 100 MWh each). Provides multi-year, tranche-based contracted supply revenue.
- Public Grants and Subsidies: Non-dilutive grant funding from public-sector programs (e.g., €30M from Greece's 'Produc-e Green' RRF program for Greek gigafactory build-out).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Multi-year contract | Project-based quote pricing with cited LCOS as low as 5¢/kWh |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Unit pricing reference: ~$15M CAPEX per GWh for SolidFlow vs ~$100M per GWh for lithium-ion |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
CMBlu Energy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CMBlu Energy designs, manufactures, and sells SolidFlow battery systems — a proprietary architecture that combines organic redox-flow chemistry with solid-state storage materials and water-based, non-flammable electrolytes. The systems deliver long-duration (10+ hour) energy storage using earth-abundant materials with no lithium, cobalt, nickel, or rare-earth dependency, sold as multi-megawatt storage solutions to utilities, data centers, and large commercial-industrial customers.
Product overview
CMBlu Energy offers a single unified product platform — the SolidFlow battery system — built around a proprietary architecture that combines organic redox-flow chemistry with solid-state storage materials and water-based, non-flammable electrolytes. The core SolidFlow Battery System (a 10 kW / 100 kWh module scaling to gigawatt-hour deployments with independent power/capacity scaling and a software-defined BMS) is delivered through three vertical applications: SolidFlow for Grid & Utilities, SolidFlow for Commercial & Industrial, and SolidFlow for Data Centers, each addressing different use cases such as renewable firming, peak shaving, and backup power for hyperscale data centers. Production is anchored by a manufacturing network comprising the live Alzenau (Germany) gigafactory, with planned facilities in Greece (under construction, target 2027) and the United States (planning, production begins 2029).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SolidFlow: Proprietary Organic SolidFlow long-duration energy storage battery architecture/technology that combines the scalability of redox-flow batteries with the energy density of solid-state batteries; uses carbon-based organic molecules, water-based, non-flammable electrolytes, and earth-abundant materials (no lithium, cobalt, or nickel).
Products and services
- SolidFlow Battery System CMBlu's proprietary Organic SolidFlow battery system combines the scalability and longevity of redox-flow batteries with energy densities comparable to lithium-based systems. Each module delivers 10 kW power output, 100 kWh capacity, 75% round-trip efficiency, up to 20-year lifetime and ~20,000 cycles, using aqueous non-flammable electrolytes with no lithium, cobalt, nickel, or rare-earth dependency, achieving levelized cost of storage as low as 5¢/kWh. Sold to utilities, grid operators, data centers, and large C&I customers.
- SolidFlow for Grid & Utilities Long-duration energy storage solution for electric utilities, grid operators, and transmission system operators, enabling 10+ hours of storage to shift excess solar and wind generation, capture day-ahead and intraday spreads, defer grid expansion, and provide firm, schedulable renewable power. Example economics: up to €20M annual revenue and 5–8 year payback for a 100 MW / 1,000 MWh system.
- SolidFlow for Commercial & Industrial Industrial-grade long-duration energy storage solution for commercial and industrial customers to shift consumption across tariff windows, lower peak demand charges, increase self-consumption of on-site renewables, provide backup power, and participate in flexibility markets. Example economics: €1.5M annual savings and 3-year payback for a 50 MWh / 10-hour system.
- SolidFlow for Data Centers Mission-critical long-duration energy storage solution for hyperscale and colocation data centers, providing hours (rather than minutes) of backup, reducing grid constraints, integrating renewables and PPAs, increasing speed-to-power, and improving renewable utilization by 300–400% while eliminating diesel generators. Example: 100 MW data center paired with 300 MW solar (40% capacity factor) supported by 600 MWh SolidFlow.
- SolidFlow Manufacturing / Gigafactory Network End-to-end manufacturing platform for SolidFlow battery modules comprising the operational Alzenau (Germany) gigafactory (current capacity 1 GWh, max 4 GWh), a planned USA gigafactory (production begins 2029), and a Greek gigafactory under construction (target 2027), targeting more than 10 GWh of on- and off-grid deployment capacity by 2029.
Quantifiable outcome
- LCOS as little as 5¢/kWh
- +9 more outcomes
Companies that use CMBlu Energy
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
CMBlu Energy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
CMBlu Energy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- UniperflagshipUniper Kraftwerke GmbH signed a long-term conditional framework supply agreement with CMBlu Energy AG on Jan 20, 2026, for at least 5 GWh of SolidFlow battery storage systems through 2037 (tranches of at least 100 MWh each starting 2027). Builds on years of collaboration including a Site Acceptance Test at the Staudinger power plant. Parties also intend to conclude long-term service and maintenance agreements.
- Mercedes-Benz Group AGcoreMercedes-Benz Group AG ordered an 11 MWh SolidFlow battery for its Rastatt plant in Germany — the first commercial order of the technology — for installation in H2 2025 to store PV-generated renewable energy for multi-hour discharge. Marks transition from R&D to serial production for CMBlu.
- ABBcoreABB is CMBlu's robotic automation partner for the fully automated production line in the Alzenau gigafactory (commissioned in 2024). The Alzenau facility serves as a blueprint for the planned Greek gigafactory.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights7 records
CMBlu Energy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Saft (TotalEnergies): French industrial battery manufacturer (subsidiary of TotalEnergies) producing lithium-ion and other chemistries for grid, data center and industrial customers. Important European incumbent with overlapping applications and customer base.
- Fluence Energy: Global, publicly listed integrator of lithium-ion BESS for utilities and large C&I customers. Represents the incumbent solution CMBlu must displace in most RFPs; its grid-scale product roadmap also pushes into multi-hour duration.
- Tesla Energy (Megapack): Tesla's utility-scale Megapack lithium-ion BESS line. Sets the benchmark for installed cost, deployment speed and scale in the utility-scale BESS market CMBlu targets, and increasingly pitches long-duration variants of its own.
Direct peers
- Energy Vault: Swiss/US-listed developer of gravity- and kinetic-based long-duration storage plus hybrid battery systems. Targets the same utility and data center customers as CMBlu for multi-hour duration needs with a different physical storage mechanism.
- ESS Inc. US-listed (NYSE: GWH) manufacturer of iron-flow long-duration batteries for utility-scale applications. Most directly comparable non-lithium flow battery peer targeting the same 10+ hour, multi-cycle, grid and C&I use cases as CMBlu's SolidFlow.
- Invinity Energy Systems: UK-listed manufacturer of vanadium redox flow batteries for utility-scale, microgrid and C&I long-duration storage. Direct peer in flow-battery chemistry and architectural choice, competing for the same European utility and commercial buyers.
- Form Energy: US-based developer of iron-air battery systems engineered for 100+ hour discharge at low LCOS. Competes head-to-head with CMBlu in the long-duration utility and data center segment, with multi-gigawatt project commitments already announced.
Emerging players
- Antora Energy: US-based developer of thermal battery systems using carbon and solid-state storage to deliver industrial heat and electricity for hours. Overlaps with CMBlu in the data center / industrial customer set and the long-duration positioning.
- Malta Inc. US-based pumped-heat long-duration storage developer (backed by Google/Alphabet). Competes for the same utility-scale, multi-hour storage RFPs as CMBlu with a fundamentally different thermal/mechanical architecture.
- CellCube Energy Storage (Enerox): Austrian vanadium redox flow battery manufacturer serving utility, microgrid and C&I customers. Closest geographic and architectural peer to CMBlu in continental Europe for large-format flow-battery deployments.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights8 records
Customer concentration
CMBlu Energy social profiles
Digital presenceCMBlu Energy compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
CMBlu Energy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CMBlu Energy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
CMBlu Energy subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
CMBlu Energy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CMBlu Energy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CMBlu Energy
What does CMBlu Energy do?
CMBlu Energy designs, manufactures, and sells SolidFlow battery systems — a proprietary architecture that combines organic redox-flow chemistry with solid-state storage materials and water-based, non-flammable electrolytes. The systems deliver long-duration (10+ hour) energy storage using earth-abundant materials with no lithium, cobalt, nickel, or rare-earth dependency, sold as multi-megawatt storage solutions to utilities, data centers, and large commercial-industrial customers.
Is CMBlu Energy a public or private company?
CMBlu Energy is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was CMBlu Energy founded?
CMBlu Energy was founded in 2014. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is CMBlu Energy based?
CMBlu Energy is headquartered in Alzenau, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does CMBlu Energy make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Hardware / Battery System Sales are the primary driver. The others are long-Term Service & Maintenance Agreements, multi-Year Framework Supply Agreements and public Grants and Subsidies.
Who are CMBlu Energy's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Saft (TotalEnergies), Fluence Energy and Tesla Energy (Megapack). Direct peers are Energy Vault, ESS Inc., Invinity Energy Systems and Form Energy. Emerging players are Antora Energy, Malta Inc. and CellCube Energy Storage (Enerox).
Does CMBlu Energy have an API?
No public API is recorded for CMBlu Energy.
What industry is CMBlu Energy in?
CMBlu Energy's product category is Long-Duration Energy Storage Systems (BESS). Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAFABAH, Solid-State Battery Materials & Cell Manufacturing, with a secondary code of IMAGAHAB, Battery Modules & Packs (Industrial/Commercial pack assembly). Its NAICS code is 33591 and its SIC code is 3677.