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Ze Energy, a hybrid solar energy and battery storage solutions company headquartered in Paris, has successfully raised some €54 million to speed up growth across Europe by strengthening the stability and sustainability of sources of renewable energy.
Transition fund Amundi Transition Énergétique has led a major round in ZE Energy, securing significant capital injection with the support of Climate Infrastructure Fund Demeter’s and its long-term partner Sorégies. The funds will be used to accelerate the scaling up of these innovative solar and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) projects across Europe.
ZE Energy is a new company established in 2019 to revolutionize the energy market by offering a new hybrid model based on solar photovoltaic generation and advanced battery storage systems. The hybrid solution is ready to respond to the challenges of volatile energy prices often experienced in the renewable sector. Excess energy generated during peak hours through solar power will be captured and stored for later use at times of high energy demands. With a pipeline of more than 1 GW in solar PV projects and 300 MW of battery storage capacity, ZE Energy is now targeting 900 MW of solar as well as 600 MWh of storage by 2026.
Hybrid Energy Solutions for Taming Price Volatility
Price volatility stands as one of the biggest challenges that renewable energy faces today, particularly for solar energy markets. Overproduction in sunny periods affects the energy sector with series of extreme price fluctuations. Some regions already experience negative pricing. The hybrid model utilized by ZE Energy solves the issue of overproduction in sunny times by storing excess energies during the overproduction period and releasing it into the network during the high-demand period, which therefore offers a stable predictable supply of energies to the customers and avoids extreme price volatility.
“In 2024, we experienced the miracle where, at certain moments of the day, solar was cheaper than free as production had soared to such an extent that it became negative. Our storage solution is of paramount importance in smoothing such volatility,” said Mathieu Lassagne, Founder of ZE Energy. “We ensure stability in the price, hence our model is helpful to the producers of energy and the consumers alike.”
Extending Europe’s Horizon of Renewable Energy
With the new funds, ZE Energy is on the road to significantly boosting its presence across Europe. In this regard, the company set plans for more hybrid solar and battery storage projects as part of its proposed expansion to 900 MW in solar capacity and 600 MWh in battery storage by 2026. This corresponds to the company’s broader aim for furthering Europe’s energy grid into more sustainable and resilient status.
According to Amundi Transition Énergétique, leader investor in this round, it is now energized and excited to be part of ZE Energy’s work, as it sees a strong fit with its strategy on supporting infrastructure projects contributing to decarbonizing the energy sector. We have great confidence in the hybrid solar and storage solutions they enable to make the electricity system both more sustainable and more resilient”, commented Matthieu Poisson, CEO Amundi Transition Énergétique. “The proven experience of ZE Energy and its growth prospects make it an excellent partner for further developing the energy transition in Europe.
Investor Information Demeter’s Climate Infrastructure Fund, another long-time supporter of energy transition-focused projects, also invested in this round, applauding the hybrid model of ZE Energy for its focus on energy efficiency and sustainability: “ZE Energy’s approach is perfectly aligned with the goals of the Climate Infrastructure Fund,” Philippe Detours, Demeter’s Managing Partner said. “This funding will enable ZE Energy to extend its presence in France and internationally, contributing to a greener, more efficient energy landscape.”
It also attracted Sorégies, an energy provider in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and one of the important partners of ZE Energy. Frédéric Bouvier, chairman of the management board of Groupe Sorégies, stressed the future potential for cooperation in this field. Flexibility is one of the biggest challenges in the energy transition. With our partnership with ZE Energy, we can offer the customer innovative and sustainable solutions that provide them with green, locally sourced, and reliable energy,” said Bouvier. “Together we are working to make the transition to energy more accessible and affordable.”
Future: A greener, more resilient energy future
This new funding proves a good ground for ZE Energy to continue growing and achieving its objective of an even more stable and sustainable energy grid in Europe. ZE Energy’s effort, together with solar energy production and advanced storage technologies, is at the same time close to minimizing price volatility in the energy market while leading towards a much stronger and lower-carbon future for European energy.
More expansion in the company has been planned, and ZE Energy’s innovative hybrid solar and storage systems are highly likely to be located at the core of Europe’s energy transition: providing this country with some means for reliable, affordable, clean energy to its consumers while supporting the decarbonization of power infrastructure across the continent.
