Key Takeaways
- • TIVEN, a family office investment group based in Malta and Germany, has acquired 100% of sonnen, the residential battery storage and virtual power plant maker, from Shell; terms were not disclosed.
- • The sale closes a process Shell began in 2023 under its portfolio high-grading strategy; Shell had acquired sonnen in 2019 following an initial €60 million investment the year before.
- • sonnen USA has doubled sales and tripled production year-over-year and expects to deliver more than 180MWh of residential storage in 2026, while expanding manufacturing in Stone Mountain, Georgia.
- • TIVEN is the private investment arm of entrepreneur Gert Purkert, a founding partner of alternative investor AURELIUS.
- • Execution risk centers on whether TIVEN can fund and scale sonnen's US partnerships and manufacturing, not on the change of ownership itself.
Summary
TIVEN, a family office investment group based in Malta and Germany, has acquired 100% of sonnen, the residential battery storage and virtual power plant (VPP) manufacturer, from Shell, according to Dealroom, which cited Business Insider. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The purchase concludes a sale process Shell began in 2023 as part of its portfolio high-grading strategy. Shell acquired sonnen in 2019, after an initial investment of €60 million the previous year.
TIVEN inherits sonnen USA, which has doubled sales and tripled production year-over-year. The company expects to deliver more than 180MWh of residential storage in 2026 and is expanding manufacturing in Stone Mountain, Georgia, to reduce reliance on global supply chains. Its US footprint runs through partnerships, including a SOLRITE deal in Texas that bundles rooftop solar, a sonnen battery and VPP participation, now covering more than 6,000 homes, alongside programs in Massachusetts and Utah.
In a statement, TIVEN said: "The North American market for residential VPP solutions is significant, and we are pleased to enter it with sonnen, a true pioneer of the sector." TIVEN is the private investment arm of entrepreneur Gert Purkert, a founding partner of AURELIUS.
The announcement describes expansion plans rather than proof of sustained national growth. The key question is whether TIVEN can fund and scale sonnen's partnerships and US manufacturing. The deal reflects a broader push to aggregate home batteries into virtual power plants that serve utilities and large power users, a segment where Sunrun, Tesla and Renew Home are also competing. For sonnen, the move from an oil major to a family office will test whether patient private capital can turn a pioneer's foothold into scale.
The purchase concludes a sale process Shell began in 2023 as part of its portfolio high-grading strategy. Shell acquired sonnen in 2019, after an initial investment of €60 million the previous year.
TIVEN inherits sonnen USA, which has doubled sales and tripled production year-over-year. The company expects to deliver more than 180MWh of residential storage in 2026 and is expanding manufacturing in Stone Mountain, Georgia, to reduce reliance on global supply chains. Its US footprint runs through partnerships, including a SOLRITE deal in Texas that bundles rooftop solar, a sonnen battery and VPP participation, now covering more than 6,000 homes, alongside programs in Massachusetts and Utah.
In a statement, TIVEN said: "The North American market for residential VPP solutions is significant, and we are pleased to enter it with sonnen, a true pioneer of the sector." TIVEN is the private investment arm of entrepreneur Gert Purkert, a founding partner of AURELIUS.
The announcement describes expansion plans rather than proof of sustained national growth. The key question is whether TIVEN can fund and scale sonnen's partnerships and US manufacturing. The deal reflects a broader push to aggregate home batteries into virtual power plants that serve utilities and large power users, a segment where Sunrun, Tesla and Renew Home are also competing. For sonnen, the move from an oil major to a family office will test whether patient private capital can turn a pioneer's foothold into scale.
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