What enera does

enera was a German government-funded smart grid demonstration project that ran from 2017 to the end of 2020 under the SINTEG showcase program ("Schaufenster intelligente Energie – Digitale Agenda für die Energiewende") of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). With a program budget of more than 170 million euros, 31 consortium partners, and hundreds of participants organized into 14 work packages, it was one of the most comprehensive energy transition research projects in Germany. The project was published and coordinated by EWE Aktiengesellschaft (Oldenburg) and operated in a model region covering the East Frisian peninsula (Aurich, Friesland, Wittmund counties plus the city of Emden), selected for its wind-rich North Sea coastal conditions.

enera developed and demonstrated an integrated smart grid stack comprising: the Flexmarkt, a first-of-its-kind market-based mechanism for regional distribution grid operators to procure flexible real power for grid stabilization across all voltage levels; the SAM (Smart Reading and Communication Module) for second-by-second metering at PV and grid transfer points; consumer-facing interfaces including the enera App, Pulse App, HomEnergy App, EiVi feed-in visualization, and a Smart Mirror hardware device; plus Grid4Mobility for smart EV charging and Bürgerspeicher (citizen storage) for community energy storage. The technical architecture combined IoT-grade metering, market mechanism design, and prosumer engagement tooling.

Commercially, enera was not a revenue-generating entity. It operated as a non-commercial research and demonstration initiative funded entirely through the BMWi grant, with results disseminated as free downloadable publications (project magazine, project compendium, roadmap) and through the SINTEG cross-project platform wirsinteg.de. End-users (prosumer households, municipalities, industrial sites in the model region) were demonstration participants rather than paying customers. Following the formal end of the project in late 2020, the website has been maintained as a reference resource and there is no evidence of a successor commercial entity.

Name

enera

Legal name

EWE Aktiengesellschaft

Website

https://projekt-enera.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

enera was a German government-funded SINTEG smart grid demonstration project (2017-2020) that developed Flexmarkt, smart metering, and consumer energy apps in the East Frisian model region, led by EWE AG with 31 consortium partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Smart Grid Software

NAICS

Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112), Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211)

SIC

Electric Services (4911), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Demand Response, Load Flexibility & Smart Thermostat Aggregation (EUADAPAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Customer Energy Engagement (In-Home Displays, Portals, Usage Insights) (EUADAFAH), Smart Grid Automation & Distribution Management (DA/ADMS) (EUADAPAA), DERMS/ADMS & Grid Operations Software Integration (Dispatch, Constraint Mgmt) (EUAMAIAG)

Keywords

• Smart grid solutions
• Energy flexibility markets
• Smart metering systems
• Renewable energy integration
• Grid digitalization

Headquarters

HQ city

Oldenburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Funding (SINTEG Program): enera was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) as part of the SINTEG showcase program for intelligent energy. The project had a budget of more than 170 million euros. As a research and demonstration project (2017-2020), revenue was not generated through commercial means but through government funding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

enera was a Smart Grid demonstration project that developed and tested digital infrastructure and market-based mechanisms for integrating renewable energy into regional distribution grids. Its core offerings included the Flexmarkt platform for procuring flexible real power across all voltage levels, the SAM smart metering and communication module, consumer-facing energy visualization apps (Pulse, HomEnergy, EiVi, enera App), the Smart Mirror household display, Grid4Mobility EV charging management, and Bürgerspeicher community energy storage, all demonstrated in a real-world model region on the East Frisian Peninsula.

Product overview

enera was a government-funded smart grid demonstration project (2017-2020) under Germany's SINTEG program, not a commercial product company. It developed and demonstrated a comprehensive energy system solution consisting of: the Flexmarkt platform for market-based grid stabilization; SAM (Smart Reading and Communication Module) for smart meter data acquisition; consumer-facing digital interfaces including the enera App, Pulse App, HomEnergy App, and EiVi feed-in visualization feature; and Smart Mirror hardware. The project operated in a model region on the East Frisian peninsula and generated results, roadmaps, and publications rather than commercialized products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• First market-based solution (Flexmarkt) for flexible power procurement enabling grid stabilization at all voltage levels
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• EWE AktiengesellschaftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEWE AG is the lead consortium partner and publisher of enera. Headquartered in Oldenburg, EWE is a major energy company providing the primary institutional framework for the project. The company manages the enera website and coordinates consortium activities.
• 3M Deutschland GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial conglomerate participating in the 31-partner enera consortium contributing solutions for intelligent energy systems
• ENERCONcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWind turbine manufacturer working on grid stability solutions including STATCOM systems for reactive power provision and coordination with EWE Netz for grid stability in the enera region
• SiemenscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor industrial partner in the consortium contributing technology solutions for smart grid infrastructure and automation
• SAPcoreTechnology or IntegrationSoftware partner providing enterprise software solutions for data management and integration within the smart grid ecosystem
• BoschcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partner contributing industrial automation and IoT solutions for energy management systems
• EWE NetzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrid operator subsidiary of EWE responsible for network operations in the model region, implementing intelligent grid operating equipment
• AvaconminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrid operator partner contributing to network infrastructure development in the project
• Software AGcoreTechnology or IntegrationSoftware partner providing integration and platform solutions for smart grid data management
• DLR (German Aerospace Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institution contributing expertise in energy systems research and technology validation
• RWTH Aachen UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading technical university contributing research expertise in energy systems and grid technology
• OFFIScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institute for computer science in Oldenburg contributing software and systems expertise for smart grid applications
• the peak labcoreTechnology or IntegrationInnovation lab contributing user interface development including Smart Mirror, Pulse App, and HomEnergy App designs, as well as human-centered design methodology
• ViessmannminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeating and energy systems manufacturer contributing solutions for building energy management
• TennetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransmission system operator contributing grid management expertise and coordination with transmission level operations
• Landkreis AurichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistrict municipality in the enera model region participating as a local government partner for energy transition implementation
• Jacobs University BremenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate international university contributing research expertise in energy systems and sustainability
• Hochschule FreseniusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of applied sciences contributing research on energy economics and sustainability
• TU ClausthalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical university contributing mining and energy engineering expertise to the project
• Universität Duisburg-EssenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity contributing energy research expertise to the consortium
• FGH (Forschungsgesellschaft für Energiewirtschaft)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy research society contributing expertise in energy economics and grid research
• SINTEG Program (sinteg.de)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe SINTEG program ('Schaufenster intelligente Energie - Digital Agenda for the Energy Transition') coordinated five showcase projects including enera. Results from all five model projects are being consolidated and progressively published.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• WindNODE: SINTEG showcase project demonstrating a 'showcase for wind power integration' in eastern Germany. Directly comparable as one of the five SINTEG siblings with the same funding program, focus on flexibility, and large industrial consortium.
• energy2market (e2m): Leipzig-based flexibility aggregator and marketer of distributed generation and demand response in Germany. Directly comparable to enera's Flexmarkt concept: e2m operates a market-based platform for trading flexibility from distributed assets, addressing the same DSO need for non-conventional grid services.
• Lichtblick: Hamburg-based energy company operating a 10,000+ distributed household CHP/Smart Home fleet aggregated as a virtual power plant. Closely comparable to enera's prosumer and household-flexibility work (Smart Mirror, Pulse App, Bürgerspeicher) and to the Grid4Mobility EV-charging layer.
• DESIGNETZ: SINTEG showcase project developing modular solutions for a 'designetz' of energy systems across North Rhine-Westphalia. Comparable in scope, funding source, and grid-flexibility focus; part of the same five-project SINTEG cohort as enera.
• C/sells: SINTEG showcase project demonstrating a cellular, citizen-driven energy transition in southern and southwestern Germany. Directly comparable as the fifth SINTEG sibling, with the same demonstration mandate and overlap in smart-grid and prosumer-engagement themes.
• Next Kraftwerke: Cologne-based virtual power plant and flexibility aggregator operating across Germany and Europe. Comparable as a commercial counterpart to enera's Flexmarkt concept — Next Kraftwerke already runs a multi-MW flexibility marketplace, the same problem space enera's Flexmarkt addresses for DSOs.
• NEW 4.0: Sibling SINTEG showcase project in northern Germany focused on integrating wind power into the grid using smart market and flexibility mechanisms. Highly comparable: same federal funding instrument, same mandate to demonstrate digitalized grid operation, and partially overlapping consortium partners.

Emerging players

• Sonnen (now part of Shell): German residential energy storage and VPP provider now owned by Shell. Comparable to enera's Bürgerspeicher (community storage) work and to the broader prosumer flexibility vision; overlaps in the smart-home, storage-aggregation niche enera explored.
• Discovergy: German smart-meter gateway operator and metering service provider. Comparable to enera's SAM module and the consumer-facing apps (EiVi, HomEnergy, Pulse) — Discovergy provides real-time consumption data and apps to households, overlapping with enera's prosumer-engagement layer.
• KISTERS: Aachen-based vendor of energy data management, forecasting, and grid-software solutions. Comparable to the energy-management and forecasting portions of enera's stack (Energy & Meteo Systems partner) and to the DERMS-adjacent grid-operations tooling enera developed.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/e_vernetzen
• Facebookfacebook.com/energie.vernetzen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about enera