German startup 1komma5° (1point5 degrees in German), a group of Europe’s top cleantech entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts, acquired a significant investment in Natural Solar, the largest home solar and solar battery installer in Australia. The startup operates mainly in Germany and Sweden.
Over the coming 18 months, 1komma5° will invest a further $100 million to acquire majority shares in the best-in-class green energy firms across Australia and the APAC region.
Chris Williams, chief executive of 1komma5°’s Asia Pacific operation and founder of Natural Solar, says consumer demand and the advancement of various home gadgets are now driving the need for a one-stop shop for anything electric in the home.
“The investment will allow Natural Solar to scale its growth aggressively across all markets and product types while at the same time leaning on the operational and industry experience through seasoned experts such as Philipp Schröder and Christoph Ostermann (CEO & Founder of Sonnen), along with the other investee companies and entrepreneurs, while leveraging the international buying power and economies of scale of the global group,” said Mr Williams.
“Natural Solar is not only the market leader for solar and batteries, but the company has taken part in some of the most advanced virtual power plant projects in Australia, we are thus looking forward to supporting Chris and his team to execute our joint Australian strategy in the coming month and years,” said Philipp Schröder.
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Philipp Schröder, the former managing director of the global solar battery producer Sonnen, the worldwide CEO of 1komma5°, and a former country director for Tesla in Germany and Austria commended the company’s entry into Australia as giving this one a presence in “the third largest solar and battery market globally” in a post on LinkedIn over the weekend.
The Heartbeat, a home energy management system that connects batteries, heat pumps, air conditioners, electric vehicle chargers, and smart metres and controls the buying and selling of electricity from and to the grid, is the key differentiating technology of 1komma5°.
The first 1,000 Australian solar and solar battery clients will receive Heartbeat for free; each Heartbeat costs $1350. Heartbeat will debut in early 2023, and orders for the gadgets will be accepted in October.
By 2030, 1komma5° wants to generate annual revenues of EUR 15 billion. It has approximately 750 people and operates in 25 sites across Sweden, Germany, Finland, Austria, and Spain. In the previous year, it has already purchased 15 companies. Now Australia can be included in that group. Additionally, 600 million euros in revenue are anticipated for 2023. Over 42,000 energy assets, with a combined decentralised load capacity of one nuclear power plant, have already been built by the company.
Opening its stores is a key component of the 1komma5° plan. These stores will develop into one-stop shops for CO2-neutral living in residential and commercial structures. Technologies ranging from photovoltaics, batteries, electric charging, and heat pumps are used to decarbonise power, heat, and mobility.
In Hamburg, Stockholm, Munich, Berlin, and now Sydney, stores are open or planned.
1komma5°
1komma5° provides installation and services related to solar, electricity storage, and charging infrastructure for climate technologies. The company offers energy storage, charging, and heat pump systems, enabling private households and small and medium-sized companies to dispense with fossil fuels in electricity, heat, and mobility.
1komma5° is the first company in Germany to offer all owners of electric vehicles free electricity. It refinances through trading with so-called GHG quotas and encourages them to lead a CO2-neutral life.
Natural Solar
Natural Solar installed some of the world’s most prominent solar and battery systems, including the first Tesla Powerwall and SonnenFlat systems in Australia. Natural Solar is proud to work with State and Federal Government entities to provide solar and battery solutions to the Australian people. Natural Solar is renowned for designing bespoke energy storage solutions to fit the residential, commercial, and development markets.
