BürgerEnergie

What BürgerEnergie does

BürgerEnergie is the operating identity of two registered German energy cooperatives (Eingetragene Genossenschaft) based in Holzgünz, Bavaria: BürgerEnergie HoSchMi eG (founded June 2013) and HoSchMi-Bürgersonne eG (founded January 2024). Together the cooperatives own and operate ground-mounted photovoltaic parks with a combined installed capacity of approximately 4.4 MW (1.3 MW plus 3.1 MW), producing roughly 4.7 million kWh of electricity annually—enough to supply 900–1,000 households. The first park uses 5,811 polycrystalline silicon modules from Risen Technology with Kaco Powador 9600 inverters; the second is a larger 3.1 MW installation on leased municipal land. Capital is raised through member share subscriptions (€1,000 per Geschäftsanteil) and subordinated member loans, with 68 and 59 members respectively and combined subscribed capital of approximately €1.0 million.

The cooperatives' business model combines (i) member equity and loan contributions that finance the PV infrastructure, (ii) German EEG feed-in tariff revenue on electricity fed into the grid (with €29,914 in curtailment compensation disclosed for 2025), and (iii) direct electricity sales to local residents through the cells.energy local energy marketplace, with fair, transparent pricing and no long-term contract requirements. BürgerEnergie HoSchMi eG distributed a 7.5% dividend for fiscal year 2025 reflecting profitability, while HoSchMi-Bürgersonne eG reported a loss in its second business year. The customer base consists entirely of local Holzgünz citizens as cooperative members and electricity consumers, with the marketing channel built on community networks, the hoschmi.com website, and general assemblies. Both cooperatives are managed operationally by VR-Memmingen BeteiligungsGmbH (Peter Wetzstein) and supervised by Genossenschaftsverband Bayern e.V.

Strategically, the venture is a community-energy model: it enables local citizens to participate financially in the energy transition, receive dividend returns, and purchase locally generated renewable electricity. Growth is geographically constrained to the Holzgünz area and dependent on continued land availability from the municipality and continued member capital subscriptions. The business has no AI/ML, software, or digital product surface beyond the third-party cells.energy marketplace, and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

BürgerEnergie

Legal name

BürgerEnergie HoSchMi eG

Website

https://hoschmi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BürgerEnergie is two community-owned energy cooperatives in Holzgünz, Bavaria operating 4.4 MW of ground-mounted solar PV parks that supply approximately 900–1,000 households. Members invest €1,000 shares, earn dividends, and purchase locally generated electricity via the cells.energy marketplace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Solar Energy

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114), Electric Power Generation (22111)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991), Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Solar Development & Subscription Management (EUAMAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Distributed Generation (DG) Solar & Small Wind (EUAMAJAD)

Keywords

• Energy cooperative
• Solar electricity generation
• Community renewable energy
• Photovoltaic power
• Citizen-owned utilities

Headquarters

HQ city

Holzgünz

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Electricity Generation and Sales: The cooperative generates electricity through its photovoltaic parks and sells it to members and local residents via the cells.energy local energy marketplace. Revenue comes from electricity sales with fair, transparent pricing and no long-term contract requirements.
2. Member Share Capital (Geschäftsanteile): Citizens purchase business shares (Geschäftsanteile) at 1,000 € per share to become members of the cooperative. BürgerEnergie HoSchMi eG has 68 members with 357 shares totaling 357,000 € in share capital. HoSchMi-Bürgersonne eG has 59 members with 670,000 € in subscribed share capital.
3. Subordinated Member Loans (Nachrangdarlehen): Members provide subordinated loans (Nachrangdarlehen) to finance the 2.5 million € investment in PV infrastructure. These loans are subordinate to bank debt and are currently fully subscribed.
4. Feed-in Remuneration (Vergütung): The cooperative receives feed-in remuneration for electricity that is curtailed (reduced/curtailed generation). In 2025, this amounted to 29,914 € for 437,000 kWh of curtailed electricity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

BürgerEnergie operates two community-owned energy cooperatives (Eingetragene Genossenschaft) in Holzgünz, Bavaria that run ground-mounted solar photovoltaic parks with a combined installed capacity of approximately 4.4 MW. The cooperatives sell locally generated solar electricity to members and local residents through the cells.energy local energy marketplace, and enable citizens to invest in renewable energy through €1,000 business shares (Geschäftsanteile).

Product overview

BürgerEnergie operates as a community energy cooperative managing two solar photovoltaic parks: BürgerEnergie HoSchMi eG (1.3 MW, founded 2013) and HoSchMi-Bürgersonne eG (3.1 MW, founded 2024), both located in Holzgünz, Bavaria. Members can purchase locally generated solar electricity through the cells.energy marketplace platform. The cooperatives enable community ownership of renewable energy generation with approximately 4.4 MW combined installed capacity producing an estimated 4.7 million kWh annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BürgerEnergie HoSchMi eG (Membership & PV Park)
• HoSchMi-Bürgersonne eG (Membership & PV Park)
• Strommarktplatz cells.energy (Local Electricity Sales)

Quantifiable outcome

• Annual electricity production: 4.7 million kWh combined from both cooperatives
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gemeinde Holzgünz (Holzgünz Municipality)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013The municipal council collaborated with VR-Bank Memmingen eG to realize the renewable energy project. The municipality provides the leased land (Pachtfläche) for both PV parks. Citizens of Holzgünz were invited to participate as members.
• cells.energycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributorcells.energy operates a local energy marketplace that exclusively lists local renewable energy producers including BürgerEnergie HoSchMi eG. The cooperative sells electricity through this platform with fair, transparent pricing and no long-term contract requirements.
• Genossenschaftsverband Bayern e.V.minorOthersGenossenschaftsverband Bayern e.V. (Türkenstr. 22-24, 80333 München) serves as the supervisory authority and professional association for the registered cooperative (eG) under German cooperative law.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Naturstrom AG: Naturstrom AG is an established German renewable energy utility operating wind and solar plants and supplying green electricity to households and businesses. Overlaps with BürgerEnergie on small-scale renewable generation and green retail, but operates at materially larger scale and broader geography.
• Lichtblick: Lichtblick is one of Germany's largest independent green electricity suppliers, sourcing renewable power and offering direct sales to households. Comparable value proposition (green direct-to-consumer electricity without fossil exposure) but at a national scale versus BürgerEnergie's municipal focus.
• E.ON: E.ON is one of Germany's largest energy utilities, operating generation, distribution, and retail across the country. Relevant broad incumbent benchmark for retail electricity competition and grid integration context for BürgerEnergie's distributed solar assets.

Emerging players

• Solarwatt: Solarwatt is a Dresden-based German solar manufacturer and integrator offering PV systems and home batteries. Comparable on the underlying PV-plus-storage technology stack relevant to community solar projects, though focused on hardware sales rather than cooperative generation.

Direct peers

• Green Planet Energy (formerly Greenpeace Energy): Green Planet Energy is a cooperative-supplied German green electricity provider sourcing renewable power and selling directly to consumers via fair tariffs. Directly comparable to BürgerEnergie on cooperative DNA and direct-to-consumer local renewable electricity sales.
• Enerix: Enerix is a German franchise solar installer specializing in distributed PV (rooftop and ground-mounted) and storage. Directly comparable on solar deployment execution and citizen-customer focus in Germany, though structured as a commercial franchise rather than a cooperative.
• EWS Schönau: EWS Schönau is a long-standing German citizen-owned energy cooperative operating renewable generation (hydro, wind, solar) and retailing electricity. Closest comparable to BürgerEnergie as a member-owned Genossenschaft model running community solar and other renewables in a defined geographic area.
• Bürgerwerke: Bürgerwerke is a German cooperative of cooperatives that aggregates member-owned renewable energy projects (including community solar) and sells 100% green electricity to consumers nationwide. Highly comparable cooperative structure and citizen-led solar development model.

Regional players

• Lechwerke: Lechwerke is a regional Bavarian/Swabian energy utility operating hydro and other generation and supplying electricity across southern Bavaria including the Allgäu region. Comparable on regional renewable supply in the same geography, but as a much larger established utility.
• Stadtwerke Memmingen: Stadtwerke Memmingen is the municipal utility for the city of Memmingen, the administrative center adjacent to Holzgünz in the same Unterallgäu region. Comparable regional utility role and overlapping service territory, providing context for competitive pressure from the established municipal utility.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 BürgerEnergie