The Power of Many
As the operator of one of Europe's largest Virtual Power Plants (VPP), we network thousands of electricity producers, consumers and storage facilities to build a strong team of renewables. That's why we don't just define ourselves as an electricity trader, an energy service provider, or a cleantech company. First of all, we are "the Power of Many" for the energy transition!
Our Mission Is Connecting People, Markets and Technologies
The core idea of our Virtual Power Plant is to create connections. Learn how the VPP provides some fundamental preconditions for the future energy system by aggregating renewables, connecting small plant operators to the markets, and merging a lot of data.
Enabling a Renewable Energy Revolution
Instead of a few large power plants, numerous small electricity producers will take over our energy supply in the future: from solar and wind power plants to biogas and hydroelectric assets. This multitude of decentralized energy resources (DER) must be intelligently coordinated to ensure a reliable energy supply – that's exactly what our own VPP in Europe is doing.
Market Access for Everyone
The Power of Many also includes participation in the electricity markets: Only bundled in the VPP small players reach the necessary size for benefiting from new market opportunities. As a leading electricity trader, we are operating 24/7 on all relevant European electricity markets. Here, we not only prove that renewables are competitive. Together with the participants in the Virtual Power Plant, we also contribute to balancing energy products of grid operators and thus stabilize the power grid.
Know-how & Innovation
Electricity traders, IT experts, engineers and energy economists work hand in hand in our company. As a first mover in renewables trading, we are also one of few specialists in short-term trading and a leading renewables trader. To keep it that way, we actively try to push the boundaries based on our insights and expertise. Various research projects and pilots prove this.
The Power of Data
We connect thousands of energy-producing and energy-consuming units by utilizing the full potential of digitalization. To successfully manage their power supply and demand, and to subsequently trade power with the highest profitability, we created a control system. This collects and merges data from a variety of sources: operational data from our VPP, current weather and grid data, and live market data. The accumulated data, combined with cutting-edge technology and deep market experience, makes us specialists for day-ahead, intraday and control reserve markets.
Full power ahead
A Powerful DevelopmentIn the early 2010s, then renewable energy consultants Jan De Decker and Paul Kreutzkamp no longer wanted to simply study the energy system - they wanted to change it! They saw an opportunity to provide solutions for the flexible operation of decentralized assets on the Belgian electricity markets. Instead of reinventing the wheel, they joined forces with the then five-year-old German start-up Next Kraftwerke: Next Kraftwerke Belgium was born.
The Belgian team grew quickly and became a reference in the valorisation of flexibility. Building on this experience and success they expanded operations to the Dutch market in 2016. Since then, hundreds of cogeneration assets, energy storage systems, demand response processes, solar parks and other technologies have joined Next Kraftwerke’s Virtual Power Plant. An overview of the group‘s history and milestones is shown in the image below.
