British Shell Sells Bavarian Sonnen

August 14, 2026

Source: E & M powernews

After incurring millions in losses, the British Shell Group is divesting itself of the German home energy storage manufacturer Sonnen GmbH.

London-based Shell has sold the Bavarian energy storage manufacturer Sonnen, headquartered in Wildpoldsried. The energy company confirmed this in response to a request from the editorial team. According to a Shell spokeswoman, the buyer of the Sonnen Group is Tiven, an international asset manager and family office. The company did not disclose the purchase price.

“Shell can confirm that the sale of the Sonnen Group to Tiven, an international asset manager and family office, has been completed.” The sale supports the company’s ongoing efforts to optimize its portfolio.

The Handelsblatt had previously reported on the transaction. According to the report, Tiven is the family office of Gert Purkert, co-founder and partner of the investment firm Aurelius. According to the newspaper, Sonnen is to be restructured under its new owner and subsequently positioned for resale.

Shell declined to comment on the financial terms to the editorial team. “We do not disclose the financial terms,” the spokeswoman explained. Citing insiders, the Handelsblatt reports that the purchase price could be in the low three-digit millions.

If these figures are accurate, Shell would have incurred significant losses from its investment in Sonnen. According to the Handelsblatt, the company had acquired the storage manufacturer in 2019 for just under 500 million euros. By 2024, Shell had invested an additional more than 500 million euros in the company; Shell’s involvement is likely to have been a loss-making venture totaling billions.

“Shell regularly reviews its portfolio”

When asked by E&M about the specific reasons for the separation from Sonnen, Shell referred to its regular review of its investments and business activities. “Shell regularly reviews its portfolio and strategic business opportunities. The sale is part of our ongoing efforts to optimize the portfolio,” said the spokesperson.

Sonnen’s financial performance had recently deteriorated significantly. According to the *Handelsblatt*, revenue fell from 263.5 million euros in 2023 to 78.4 million euros in the subsequent reported fiscal year. At the same time, losses this year reportedly totaled more than 106 million euros. More recent figures have not been available since the acquisition by Shell. The Handelsblatt also reports that Sonnen—aside from one year marked by special factors—had not been profitable even prior to that.

Sonnen was one of the early providers of battery storage systems for private households in Germany. Based in Wildpoldsried in the Allgäu region, the company focused not only on the sale of home storage systems but also on their digital networking and control. The aim was to bundle battery storage systems into larger units and use them for energy management applications. At the same time, the company expanded internationally.

For the new owner, the acquisition comes at a time of intense competition in the home storage market. While the overall market is growing, German manufacturers are under considerable economic pressure, according to the Handelsblatt. In addition to Sonnen, providers such as Senec and E3DC have also reported losses, declining revenue, or job cuts. At the same time, Chinese manufacturers have expanded their presence in the German market.

These difficulties are therefore not limited to Sonnen. Just a few weeks ago, the energy conglomerate EnBW announced that its storage subsidiary, Senec, would no longer offer new devices on the market. A previously planned sale of the company had fallen through.

Author: Stefan Sagmeister