U.S. and European utilities made 106 venture capital investments, 80% of which were related to decentralised services, in the three years to 2017. Seven of the 10 most active investors were European utilities, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). Distributed energy includes small-scale generation and storage, EV charging, demand response and digital energy management. Volatile wholesale power markets, increasing pressure to differentiate and a growing emphasis on sustainability have fuelled the change in emphasis, according to BNEF.
US and European utilities made 106 venture capital investments, 80% of which were related to decentralised services, in the three years to 2017. Seven of the 10 most active investors were European utilities, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). Distributed energy includes small-scale generation and storage, EV charging, demand response and digital energy management. Volatile wholesale power markets, increasing pressure to differentiate and a growing emphasis on sustainability have fuelled the change in emphasis, according to BNEF.