Photo: sonnen
Residential battery storage maker sonnen is reporting two very different stories today: Its German business has filed for insolvency, while sonnen USA says sales have doubled and it’s preparing to expand.
The insolvency filing comes just two months after Shell sold sonnen to investment group TIVEN. Germany’s Handelsblatt reported that sonnen GmbH confirmed the filing and informed roughly 400 employees in Wildpoldsried, Bavaria, on October 22.
For homeowners with sonnen batteries, the immediate question is what happens to service. According to Handelsblatt, the company intends to keep supporting its more than 150,000 existing customers. But a substantial overhaul is coming: Numerous subsidiaries are expected to be wound down or enter insolvency proceedings under self-administration, with only one production site remaining. The report does not identify that site.
Meanwhile, sonnen USA’s announcement describes a growing home battery business. The company says sales have doubled and production has tripled year over year, supported by expanded manufacturing in Stone Mountain, Georgia. It expects to deliver more than 180 megawatt-hours of residential battery storage in 2026.
Much of that growth comes from virtual power plants (VPPs). These connect home batteries so they can work together to support the grid, giving households another way to earn value from their solar and storage systems.
In Texas, sonnen says its SOLRITE offering serves more than 6,000 homes, combining rooftop solar, batteries, energy management, and VPP participation. In Massachusetts, its sonnenCommunity program offers cash rewards to participating homeowners in National Grid and Eversource territories. The company also reports rising sales through its Wattsmart program in Utah.
TIVEN bought the entire global business, including sonnen USA. US CEO Blake Richetta stated today that “TIVEN is firmly committed to the long-term success of sonnen USA as a strong, market-leading company in the North American VPP energy market.”
TIVEN stated that it “looks forward to bolstering the company’s impressive growth.”
But the US announcement leaves an important question unanswered: How will the German restructuring affect the US operation and its customers? It doesn’t address the insolvency filing, and sonnen USA declined to comment on developments in Germany when contacted by pv magazine.
The US growth figures show demand for sonnen’s batteries. What customers still need is a clear explanation of how manufacturing, software support, and service will be maintained through the restructuring.
Read more: Thousands of Texas homes are about to form a huge virtual power plant
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