Shell says Sonnen purchase part of effort to become world鈥檚 largest power company
Bloomberg
Oil major Shell plans to transform itself into 鈥渢he largest electricity power company in the world鈥� by the early 2030s, and the recent purchase of German battery pioneer Sonnen is part of that plan,聽Maarten Wetselaar, director of Shell鈥檚 new energies unit, told Bloomberg鈥檚 Alix Steel ().聽鈥淓lectrification is the biggest trend in energy in the coming 10 to 15 years, because it is by far the easiest way to decarbonise energy usage,鈥澛燱etselaar said, adding that Shell wants to be able to provide power customers with a 鈥渢otal package鈥� to manage their power needs. That could include solar panels, batteries, software to optimize energy usage, and electric car charging infrastructure. Shell is investing in companies that provide direct services to customers, including German start-up Sonnen, which allows customers to generate and control their electricity use. Wetselaar said Shell then plans to expand into renewable generation, primarily wind and solar.聽鈥淲e are not interested in the power business because we like what we saw in the last 20 years,鈥澛燱etselaar said.聽鈥淲e are interested because we think we like what we see in the next 20 years, when this business is becoming a lot more complex.鈥�
