Biltstroom

What Biltstroom does

Biltstroom (legal entity: Coöperatie Biltstroom BENG! U.A.) is a Dutch member-owned energy cooperative founded in 2018 and headquartered in Bilthoven, within the municipality of De Bilt, Netherlands. It enables residents and small businesses to collectively invest in local solar power by purchasing 'Biltstroompanelen' (solar panel shares from EUR 300 each, minimum 270 Wp) in shared rooftop installations that individual households could not finance alone. The cooperative currently operates two projects totaling 599 solar panels across agricultural host rooftops — Landwinkel De Hooierij in De Bilt (opened May 2018, 415 panels, 300 available to members) and Zorgboerderij Nieuw Toutenburg in Maartensdijk (opened October 2018, 299 panels) — and serves 65 members. All electricity produced is sold to energy supplier om | nieuwe energie, which handles metering, billing, and postcoderoosregeling tax-credit reconciliation for end consumers; om also serves approximately 40 other Dutch energy cooperatives and was rated the country's greenest supplier by Consumentenbond with five consecutive scores of 10.

The underlying technology is conventional rooftop solar PV installed and maintained by partner Greenlink, with no proprietary hardware, software, or AI components; the cooperative's defensibility rests on the Dutch postcoderoosregeling (collective energy tax credit scheme), which restricts participation to residents and businesses within the same or adjacent 4-digit postcode area as each installation. BENG!, the parent sustainable energy cooperative for De Bilt, acts as the initiator developing new projects and receives a referral fee from om for each new customer sourced through Biltstroom.

Revenue mechanics combine one-time member panel-share purchases, projected 3-6% annual returns over a 15-year project term via energy tax credits (approximately EUR 27.83 per 265 Wp panel in year 1), surplus electricity sale proceeds passed through to members, and om referral fees routed back to BENG! for reinvestment. The go-to-market is community-led and direct-to-consumer: recruitment via the biltstroom.nl website, information brochures, local project-opening events, and the BENG! member network, with no traditional sales force. The cooperative has stated a public goal, jointly with BENG! and the municipality, of making De Bilt energy-neutral by 2030.

Name

Biltstroom

Legal name

Coöperatie Biltstroom BENG! U.A.

Website

https://biltstroom.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Biltstroom is a Dutch member-owned energy cooperative in the municipality of De Bilt that enables local residents and small businesses to collectively invest in rooftop solar installations via the postcoderoos tax scheme, currently operating two solar projects totaling 599 panels for 65 members and selling the generated electricity to supplier om.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Solar Energy Cooperative

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114), Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211)

SIC

Electric Services (4911), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Solar Development & Subscription Management (EUAMAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solar Financing, Leasing & Ownership Platforms (Tax Equity, PPA, Securitization) (EUAMABAJ), Renewable Distributed Generation (Rooftop/Onsite Solar, Small Wind, Small Hydro) (EUACALAJ), Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)

Keywords

• Collective solar projects
• Cooperative renewable energy
• Local green electricity
• Solar panel investment
• Community energy cooperative

Headquarters

HQ city

Bilthoven

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Solar Panel Investment Shares: Residents purchase shares ('Biltstroompanelen') in collective solar installations. Panel prices start at €300 per panel (minimum 270 Wp capacity). Revenue is generated through energy tax credits on participants' electricity bills and profit distributions from electricity sales.
2. Electricity Supply via om: Biltstroom sells locally produced solar electricity to energy supplier om, which then supplies it to end consumers. om serves ~40 local energy cooperatives and is recognized as the greenest energy supplier in the Netherlands (Consumentenbond rating of 10). For each new customer, BENG! receives a referral fee.
3. Tax Credit Distribution: Participants receive an energy tax credit (verlaagd tarief) on their electricity bill, based on the output of their allocated panels. A 265 Wp panel generates ~227 kWh in year 1, yielding approximately €27.83 in tax credit. Participation also generates profit distributions from surplus electricity sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Biltstroom operates a member-owned cooperative (Coöperatie Biltstroom BENG! U.A.) that develops and operates collective solar photovoltaic installations on local rooftops in the municipality of De Bilt, Netherlands. Residents and small businesses purchase solar panel shares ("Biltstroompanelen") starting at €300 per panel, receiving energy tax credits under the Dutch postcoderoosregeling and projected annual returns of 3–6% over 15-year project terms. The cooperative sells the generated electricity to energy supplier om, which delivers locally produced green power to end consumers.

Product overview

Biltstroom is a cooperative (Coöperatie Biltstroom BENG! U.A.) that enables residents and businesses in De Bilt municipality to collectively invest in and benefit from local solar power generation. The company operates two completed projects (De Hooierij in De Bilt with 300 cooperative panels, and Nieuw Toutenburg in Maartensdijk with 299 panels), with plans to expand to all six villages in the municipality. Members purchase solar panels through the cooperative, receiving tax benefits under the Dutch postcode roos regulation and profit sharing from energy sales over 15-year project terms. Electricity is sold to energy supplier om (nieuwe energie), which delivers green power and CO2-compensated gas to end consumers. Biltstroom differs from pure product companies in that its 'products' are cooperative investment offerings and energy supply services rather than standalone software or hardware products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Biltstroom De Hooierij Project A collective solar power installation at Landwinkel De Hooierij in De Bilt. The 415-panel installation includes 300 panels made available to cooperative members through the postcoderoos (postal code rose) regulation, allowing participants to receive tax benefits and share in energy production returns.
• Biltstroom Nieuw Toutenburg Project A collective solar power installation at Zorgboerderij Nieuw Toutenburg in Maartensdijk. 299 solar panels installed on a cow barn, with 31 participating neighborhood residents investing in the cooperative to share in energy production and tax benefits.
• Biltstroom Green Electricity Supply Local green electricity delivery service where Biltstroom sells power from its collective solar installations to energy supplier om (nieuwe energie), who then delivers it to end consumers. Customers can switch to Biltstroom|om for locally produced solar power and CO2-compensated gas, with a referral fee paid to BENG! for each new customer.
• Biltstroompanelen (Solar Panel Participation) Individual solar panel investment offering starting from €300 per panel (minimum 270 Wp capacity). Participants become co-owners of the cooperative and receive tax benefits through the reduced energy tax rate under the postcoderoos regulation, plus profit sharing from electricity sales over a 15-year project duration. A 265 Wp panel yields approximately 227 kWh in year 1, generating a €27.83 tax credit.

Quantifiable outcome

• Energy tax credit of €27.83 per panel (265 Wp, year 1) on participants' electricity bills
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• om | nieuwe energiecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2018om is the energy supplier that purchases all electricity produced by Biltstroom's solar installations and delivers it to end consumers. om serves approximately 40 local energy cooperatives and was rated the greenest energy supplier in the Netherlands by the Consumentenbond (a score of 10) for five consecutive years. om handles billing, energy tax credit reconciliation, and gas supply. BENG!, as initiator of Biltstroom, receives a referral fee for each new om customer sourced through the cooperative.
• GreenlinkcoreTechnology or IntegrationGreenlink is a Dutch solar energy company that installs and maintains the solar panel systems for Biltstroom projects. Greenlink was commissioned for both Biltstroom projects: Landwinkel De Hooierij (2018) and Zorgboerderij Nieuw Toutenburg (2018). Greenlink also appears as an official sponsor of Biltstroom.
• BENG!flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBENG! is the parent sustainable energy cooperative that initiated Biltstroom. BENG! develops the collective solar projects (identifying suitable rooftops, conducting site research, pre-financing, and communicating new projects). Biltstroom then takes over management, operation, and financial administration. BENG! receives a referral fee for each new customer who switches to om, which is reinvested in new local projects.
• Landwinkel De Hooierij (Dirk-Jan Stelling & Martine Wismeijer)minorOthersLandwinkel De Hooierij is a farm shop in De Bilt that hosts Biltstroom's first solar installation. Dirk-Jan Stelling and Martine Wismeijer provided rooftop space on their barns for 415 solar panels, with 300 panels made available to the Biltstroom cooperative for collective participation. The project opened 5 May 2018.
• Zorgboerderij Nieuw Toutenburg (Wouter & Marjolein van Oostrum)minorOthersZorgboerderij Nieuw Toutenburg is a care farm in Maartensdijk that hosts Biltstroom's second solar installation. Wouter and Marjolein van Oostrum provided the roof of their new cow barn for 299 solar panels, with all panels available for collective participation by 31 neighbors. The project opened 13 October 2018.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Pure Energie: Larger Dutch green energy supplier offering 100% Dutch wind/solar tariffs across the country. Overlaps with Biltstroom's green-supply proposition but at national scale and without the local cooperative-ownership layer.
• Eneco (coöperatief model): Major Dutch utility with significant cooperative heritage and large-scale renewable generation. Adjacent reference point for how the Dutch local-cooperative energy model can scale nationally, though Eneco operates at materially greater scale and scope than Biltstroom.

Direct peers

• Zonnepanelendelen: Dutch online platform that lets residents invest in shared solar projects and receive returns analogous to Biltstroom's postcoderoos model. Directly comparable business model: collective PV ownership, member-level tax/return benefits, and online onboarding.
• LochemEnergie: Local energy cooperative in Lochem municipality running community-owned renewable projects. Comparable in cooperative governance, postcoderoos-style collective participation, and SMB-rooftop hosting model.
• Zuiderlicht: Eindhoven-based cooperative running collective solar projects for local residents using the postcoderoosregeling. Effectively the same model as Biltstroom, replicated in a different Dutch municipality; highly comparable in GTM, pricing, and member economics.
• om | nieuwe energie: Dutch non-profit energy supplier serving ~40 local energy cooperatives (including Biltstroom). Operates an identical community-cooperative energy model across the Netherlands and is the closest operational analogue, while also being Biltstroom's distribution partner.
• Windcentrale: Dutch cooperative that lets citizens buy shares in individual wind turbines and receive pro-rata energy returns. Same collective-ownership, member-benefits philosophy as Biltstroom, applied to wind instead of solar; highly comparable cooperative GTM motion.
• De Windvogel: Long-standing Dutch energy cooperative developing collective wind and solar projects with local ownership. Comparable in cooperative structure, member-driven project development, and reliance on Dutch renewable energy policy frameworks.

Others

• Greenlink: Dutch solar EPC and sponsor of Biltstroom's installations. Acts as installer/maintenance partner; adjacent to Biltstroom in the value chain rather than a competitor, but is the enabling technical provider for these cooperative projects.
• BENG! (Coöperatie BENG! De Bilt): Parent/initiator cooperative of Biltstroom and the broader De Bilt sustainable-energy membership body. Same operating geography and mission (energy-neutral De Bilt by 2030); functions as channel partner and project developer rather than project operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/biltstroom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/biltstroom

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 Biltstroom