German energy group E.On has acquired a majority stake in Aachen-based smart-grid start-up GridX.

Founded in 2016, GridX develops digital platforms that connect, control and optimise decentralised energy resources such as electric cars.

“The acquisition of a majority stake in GridX is another step on our path towards the decentralised and, above all, digital energy world of the next decades,” said Thomas Birr, chief strategy officer at E.On. “Through GridX, we will be able to offer our customers innovative digital energy management for the intelligent energy management of the entire home including the charging of e-cars and enable complete smart neighbourhoods. In this way, we are also enabling our customers to achieve their own sustainability goals and contribute to the success of the energy transition.”

E.On has been working with GridX since 2017. In one of several applications, an intelligent load management system was installed at E.On’s headquarters in Essen and enables dynamic charging for electric vehicles. In this system, the available energy for the charging points is dynamically distributed between the charging points and taken into account in the building’s load management.

If, for example, consumption in the building drops, more electric cars are able to be charged at the same time or with higher charging power. This means individual charging processes are optimised and the full available electricity capacity at the location is used efficiently, in almost real time.

“Since the founding of GridX, our primary goal has always been to generate maximum positive impact through our technology platform,” said a statement from the two founders and managing directors of GridX, David Balensiefen and Andreas Booke. “Through the strong strategic partnership with E.On, we can now support our customers even better on their way to a sustainable and decarbonised energy future.”

The GridX business model is in line with current developments in the energy industry. Originally clearly defined roles between energy producers on the one hand and consumers on the other are merging. Millions of households are becoming prosumers by not only consuming energy, but also feeding it into E.On’s distribution grids via their own photovoltaic systems.

The digital smart grid platform Xenon developed by GridX offers options for the control and holistic optimisation of various decentralised plants. E.On customers in Europe can thus keep a close eye on their energy usage and take steps to control this at any time.