What Next Kraftwerke does

Next Kraftwerke is a Cologne-based private energy technology company founded in 2009 by Hendrik Sämisch and Jochen Schwill, former researchers at the University of Cologne's Institute of Energy Economics. The company operates one of Europe's largest Virtual Power Plants (VPP), branded as the "Next Pool," which aggregates 15,541 MW of networked capacity across 14,375+ distributed energy resources (DERs) as of Q4 2025. These assets span wind, solar, biogas, combined heat and power (CHP), hydropower, and battery storage across 7 European Transmission System Operator (TSO) areas. The VPP enables participants — including renewable plant operators, municipal utilities, balancing responsible parties (BRPs), BESS developers, and commercial & industrial (C&I) companies — to access day-ahead, intraday, and OTC power markets as well as ancillary/balancing energy markets that would otherwise be inaccessible to small, distributed assets.

The core technology stack consists of three proprietary layers: (1) the Next Box (now Next Box 4.0) — an in-house developed hardware telecontrol unit using IEC 60870-5-104 protocol with SIM-card-authenticated, encrypted bidirectional connectivity; (2) NEXTRA, a trading and portfolio management platform providing forecasting, trading, and analytics; and (3) a central control system with proprietary forecasting algorithms that combine live feed-in data from 10,000+ assets with proprietary meteorological analyses and exchange market data. The system performs algorithm-based intelligent dispatch, optimizing power production and consumption across markets at up to 15-minute intervals. Next Kraftwerke holds subsidiary entities in Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Poland, and Italy, and operates additional German offices in Hamburg and Tübingen.

The business model combines multiple revenue streams: transaction-based fees on 15.1 TWh of energy traded in 2024 (via EPEX SPOT, EXAA, and OTC); managed-services revenue from balancing energy provision to TSOs; long-term tolling agreements for utility-scale battery storage (including five-year and seven-year contracts with Eco Stor and ju:niz Energy); subscription/recurring fees for portfolio and BRP management; and professional services for schedule optimization. Go-to-market is hybrid: direct enterprise sales for large battery storage projects, offshore wind, and municipal utility contracts, alongside a self-service product-led motion through NEXTRA for mid-market BRPs and aggregators. The company has approximately 345 employees.

Name

Next Kraftwerke

Legal name

Next Kraftwerke GmbH

Website

https://next-kraftwerke.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Next Kraftwerke operates one of Europe's largest Virtual Power Plants, aggregating 15,541 MW across 14,375+ distributed energy assets to deliver power trading, balancing energy, and portfolio optimization services across 7 European TSO areas for utilities, renewable operators, BESS developers, and C&I companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Virtual Power Plant Energy Services

NAICS

Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

Utility-Scale VPPs & Grid Services Aggregation (Capacity, Frequency, Reserves) (EUAFAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

VPP Optimization, Forecasting & Dispatch Software (AI/ML, Digital Twins) (EUAFAHAG), Commercial & Industrial (C&I) DER Aggregation & Load Flexibility (EUAFAHAB), Virtual Power Plants & Aggregation Market Access (DER Aggregation, Dispatch, Settlement) (EUAMAMAE), Virtual Power Plant (VPP) / Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Aggregation for Balancing (EUAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Virtual power plant
• Power trading services
• Balancing energy markets
• Renewable energy aggregation
• Distributed energy resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Cologne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Power Trading & Market Access: Providing market access to major European power exchanges (EPEX SPOT, EXAA) for short-term trading (day-ahead, intraday) and OTC markets. Revenue generated from trading commissions and spread capture across 15.1 TWh traded volume in 2024.
2. Balancing Energy Services: Aggregating flexible assets (biogas, CHP, hydropower, batteries, demand response) to provide balancing energy to TSOs across 7 European TSO areas. Revenue from capacity payments and energy settlement for grid stabilization services.
3. Power Scheduling & Optimization: Schedule optimization for flexible assets enabling participation in short-term markets. Revenue from optimized dispatch and schedule management fees.
4. Portfolio & BRP Management: Balancing responsible party services including schedule management, portfolio optimization, and residual profile management with options for full or partial balancing responsibility assumption.
5. Tolling Agreements: Long-term flexibility tolling agreements for battery storage systems securing contracted revenue for asset owners while Next Kraftwerke manages cross-market optimization across day-ahead, intraday, and balancing energy markets.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Next Kraftwerke operates one of Europe's largest Virtual Power Plants (VPP) called the Next Pool, aggregating over 14,000 distributed energy resources with 15,541 MW of networked capacity. The company provides market access to European power exchanges for day-ahead, intraday, and OTC trading, balancing energy services across seven TSO areas, and power scheduling optimization for flexible assets including wind, solar, biogas, CHP, hydropower, and battery storage.

Product overview

Next Kraftwerke operates one of Europe's largest Virtual Power Plants (VPP), called the Next Pool, which serves as the core platform connecting thousands of decentralized energy resources. The product portfolio consists of the VPP platform as the central infrastructure, complemented by three core service modules: Power Trading (providing market access to European exchanges), Balancing Energy (ancillary services for grid stabilization), and Power Scheduling (optimization of flexible asset operations). NEXTRA serves as the company's proprietary trading and portfolio management platform enabling self-service access for utilities, BRPs, and large consumers. The Next Box 4.0 hardware provides the critical connectivity layer, linking individual assets to the central control system. Together, these components enable aggregation of wind, solar, biogas, CHP, and battery storage assets for coordinated participation in day-ahead, intraday, and balancing energy markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NEXTRA: Trading and portfolio management platform for power markets enabling utilities, BRPs, and commercial & industrial consumers to manage assets, trade excess or shortfall quantities, and access forecasting, trading and analytics.
• Next Box 4.0

Quantifiable outcome

• 15.1 TWh of energy traded in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EcowendecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 July 2026Next Kraftwerke acts as Balancing Service Provider (BSP) and Congestion Service Provider for Ecowende's 760 MW offshore wind farm (joint venture of Shell, Chubu, Eneco). Manages day-ahead, intraday, and balancing energy markets on behalf of the wind farm.
• Shell Energy Europe LimitedcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 7 July 2026Off-taker for 60% of electricity production from Ecowende offshore wind farm. Partnership enables large-scale renewable energy marketing through VPP.
• Eco StorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026Five-year flexibility tolling agreement for Eco Stor's 300 MW/718 MWh Förderstedt battery storage facility in Germany. Next Kraftwerke manages cross-market optimization across day-ahead, intraday, and balancing energy markets, securing contracted revenue for 80% of capacity.
• ShellcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2025Osborne Clarke advised SMAREG 12 (ju:niz/EQT) on entering hybrid tolling merchant agreement with Next Kraftwerke (Shell). Shell entity involved in various VPP and battery storage partnerships.
• ju:niz EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 December 2025Seven-year tolling agreement for a large utility-scale battery energy storage system in Bavaria. Next Kraftwerke provides marketing and optimization services for the BESS asset.
• HHLA (Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in FRESH project for control reserve provided by batteries in electric automated guided vehicles (AGVs) at Hamburg port.
• Eneco BelgiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in battery pilot project with Alfen integrating 2 MW battery into VPP for primary control reserve (FCR) in Belgium.
• Greenpeace EnergyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in power-to-gas project with Stadtwerk Haßfurt, supplying hydrogen electrolyzer integrated into VPP for ancillary services.
• MVV TradingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in DA/RE network security initiative providing redispatch capacities from decentralized renewable plants in Baden-Württemberg.
• TransnetBWminorOthersTransmission grid operator partner in DA/RE project for redispatch capacity procurement from renewable sources.
• Netze BWminorOthersDistribution grid operator partner in DA/RE redispatch initiative in Baden-Württemberg.
• University of PaderbornminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner in GIS-MS project developing intelligent storage systems for micro and smart grids.
• OFFIS - Institute for Information TechnologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in FRESH project for battery control systems in port logistics automation.
• University of GöttingenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner (Chair of Information Management) in FRESH project for automated guided vehicle battery integration.
• German Biomass Research CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in BE20plus project examining economic potential of biogas assets beyond 20-year subsidy period.
• IZESminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in BE20plus project for post-subsidy biogas business models.
• Helmholtz Centre for Environmental ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in BE20plus project examining biogas potential beyond subsidy period.
• TenneTminorOthersDutch transmission system operator providing offshore grid connection infrastructure for Ecowende wind farm.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• RWE: German integrated utility that has internalized significant DER aggregation, balancing, and trading operations to optimize its own renewable portfolio. Comparable because RWE combines a large renewable asset base with proprietary trading and control software targeting European power markets.
• EDF: French integrated utility with derivatives and aggregation activities across the European market, including balancing services and aggregated flexibility offers. Comparable as a large European utility seeking to monetize aggregated DERs across multiple TSOs similar to Next Kraftwerke's model.
• ENGIE: French multinational utility with a portfolio-wide aggregation and demand-response franchise (previously encompassing companies such as EnerNOC and Conti360Energy), competing for the same C&I, municipal utility, and renewable operator customers across European wholesale markets.
• Vattenfall: Swedish state-owned utility operating trading, balancing, and aggregation activities across Northwest Europe, often via in-house trading desks and partnerships. Comparable because Vattenfall's flexibility marketing for wind and CHP assets directly mirrors Next Kraftwerke's customer offering.
• Enel (Grids / former Enel X): Italian multinational utility operating a global demand-response and aggregation business (formerly Enel X) with European presence across multiple markets. Comparable because its aggregation services address utility and C&I segments analogous to Next Kraftwerke's customer base, particularly in Italy and Iberia.
• Siemens Smart Infrastructure (Gridscale X): Industrial vendor offering Gridscale X as a distributed energy resource management and VPP platform; targets utilities, microgrids, and DER aggregators globally. Comparable because the product competes head-to-head with NEXTRA for utility and aggregator customers.

Others

• Schneider Electric (EcoStruxure DER/EMS): Industrial software and hardware vendor (EcoStruxure Energy Management and associated DER offerings) enabling aggregation, monitoring, and optimization of distributed assets. Comparable as an enabling technology and integrator partner ecosystem that competes for the same IT/OT infrastructure budgets at utilities and C&I customers.

Direct peers

• Tesla (Autobidder / Autobidder Energy): Tesla's Autobidder platform provides real-time trading and optimization for battery storage and renewable assets, increasingly rolled out to European BESS operators. Directly comparable to Next Kraftwerke's balancing and BESS optimization services with a very similar algorithmic trading proposition.
• Statkraft: Norwegian state-owned generator operating Limejump (UK) and other European VPP/aggregation activities across multiple countries. Closely comparable because Statkraft is both a renewable producer and an aggregator running short-term trading and balancing portfolios across European markets, the same core model as Next Kraftwerke.
• EnergyHub: Independent DER management platform for utility customers delivering thermostat, storage, and behind-the-meter asset aggregation including VPP functionality, primarily in North America. Comparable as a software-driven DER/VPP specialist targeting utility and BRP customers with similar BESS and dispatch value propositions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/next_kraftwerke
• Facebookfacebook.com/NextKraftwerkeDirektvermarktung
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/next-kraftwerke-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Next Kraftwerke