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• ABB acquires minority stake in HESStec, a company specialized in hybridized energy storage system (HESS) and battery energy storage system (BESS) applications;
• Integration of HESStec’s energy storage engineering and optimization capabilities will enable ABB to optimize energy storage solutions, explore innovative business models, and drive growth in key global markets;
• Partnership expands ABB's capabilities in grid-forming energy storage systems and energy optimization software to customers in their journey to net zero.
With HESStec’s scalable and cutting-edge hybrid energy storage technology, the partnership will drive new product optimization and market expansion opportunities for ABB in connection with the recently announced BESS-as-a-Service offering. The investment was made through ABB Electrification Ventures, and financial terms were not disclosed.
As the latest addition to ABB’s growing innovation ecosystem, this investment will enhance ABB's position in the rapidly growing energy storage market. With its hybrid energy storage technology based on battery cells and ultracapacitors, HESStec is best positioned to provide solutions that not only deliver economic and sustainability benefits to customers but also address power quality and reliability issues in commercial and industrial facilities, microgrids and islands with its grid-forming capabilities.
Stuart Thompson, President of ABB’s Electrification Service division said: “Our investment in HESStec expands our technological capabilities and reinforces our commitment to pioneering energy solutions. By incorporating HESStec’s hybrid storage technologies into our portfolio and combining it with our new BESS-as-a-Service offering, we’re engineering new ways for businesses to stay ahead and optimize energy use without prohibitive upfront costs. This partnership is an important step for ABB as we develop innovative business models to address the financial barriers to energy storage adoption, enabling customers to enhance resilience and establish financially-driven sustainability goals while maintaining their focus on what they do best.”
Founded in 2018, HESStec has 40 employees and specializes in designing, engineering, delivering and operating BESS and HESS based on ultracapacitors and battery cells. The company's solutions address critical energy challenges including EV fast-charging infrastructure, peak shaving for commercial buildings, power reliability for manufacturing, and optimizing renewable energy integration for industrial sites.
Eugenio Domínguez, CEO of HESStec said: “This investment by ABB marks a significant milestone in our growth journey. By combining ABB's global reach and comprehensive electrification expertise with our specialized knowledge in energy storage systems, we can deliver more innovative and effective solutions to customers worldwide, helping them navigate the complexities of the energy transition. The collaboration with ABB provides us with an industrial vision, and capital committed to accelerate the deployment of solutions that will enable a stronger, more resilient and fully decarbonized grid. Moreover, we are enhancing our industrial capacity with a proprietary manufacturing plant and a one-of-a-kind megawatt-scale grid laboratory in Europe.”
ABB joins other investors in this funding round, including Suma Capital through its climate tech fund Net Zero Ventures, and Verbund, as well as existing investors including Elewit and RIC Energy Holdings. At the same time, the continued presence of two key shareholders is confirmed: Elewit, the technology platform of the Redeia group, and international developer RIC Energy.
This investment through ABB Electrification Ventures, the venture capital arm of ABB’s Electrification business area, is a key addition to ABB's venture capital investments, reflecting the company's commitment to building an ecosystem of innovative partners developing solutions that support productivity, efficiency, and sustainability. With this latest partnership, ABB Electrification Ventures has invested around $85 million in 16 startups since 2021. ABB Electrification Ventures is part of the group-wide venture capital investment framework, ABB Ventures. Since its formation in 2009, ABB’s venture capital unit, ABB Ventures, has invested around $450 million into startups that are aligned with its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio.
ABB (abb.com) is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. By connecting its engineering and digitalization expertise, ABB helps industries run at high performance, while becoming more efficient, productive and sustainable so they outperform. At ABB, we call this ‘Engineered to Outrun’. The company has over 140 years of history and around 110,000 employees worldwide.
HESStec (hesstec.net) provides innovative hardware solutions, software products, and services for designing, engineering, delivering, and operating battery energy storage systems (BESS) and hybridized energy storage systems (HESS). Founded in 2018 in Spain, the company specializes in turnkey energy storage and grid asset optimization solutions using a pioneering hybrid approach based on patented algorithms and operational models. HESStec's solutions enable effective integration of energy storage in the ongoing energy transition, supporting renewable integration, grid applications, electric vehicle infrastructure and microgrids. The company's mission is to enable an environmentally responsible and sustainable energy model by providing storage systems that offer flexibility and manageability to electricity grids while maximizing operational and economic profitability.
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