We are thrilled to announce the launch and first closing of our new venture capital fund, Move Energy Fund I! This marks a significant step in our mission to accelerate the energy transition in the Netherlands and Western Europe.  The fund invests in early-stage scale-ups that are at the forefront of innovating both hardware and software solutions which contribute to the crucial energy transition. Move Energy invests in companies making a tangible impact towards achieving net-zero targets, with a focus on transport, buildings and power. In order to reach net zero by 2050, innovation in new high-impact technologies in these sectors will be essential.

Move Energy merges the experience and networks of investment managers YARD ENERGY and Ponooc into a new, supercharged platform. A heartfelt thanks to Pon Holdings and YARD ENERGY for their unwavering support and trust, including as cornerstone investors in Move Energy Fund I. Their belief in our vision has been instrumental in our journey. We are also proud to take over the management of the current funds from Ponooc and YARD ENERGY, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise into our new venture. 
The Fund has already completed its first two investments (Eco-Movement and Big Ass Battery), with a solid pipeline of compelling companies and technologies, guided by talented founders and management teams. In parallel, we continue our efforts in respect of the fundraise and work towards a final closing in the second half of 2024.

We welcome investors, founders, and anyone interested in learning more about our initiatives to reach out to our stellar team: Lex Roukens, Mirjam Terhorst, Martin Oldenbeuving, Friso Bensdorp, Frederik de Hosson, Bastiaan van Wijk, Eline Peeters, Rick van ‘t Ende, Julie Eeftink and Eddie Bos. This team’s expertise and passion are the driving forces behind Move Energy, poised to make a significant impact in the energy sector.

Let’s move our energy towards a sustainable future together!

#MoveEnergy #VentureCapital #EnergyTransition #SustainableInvesting #Innovation #NetZeroFuture

For more information, visit our website at Move Energy: https://moveenergy.vc/

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YARD ENERGY and Big Ass Battery are both Dutch companies that play an important role in the energy transition. YARD ENERGY has gained a great deal of experience in the development and construction of wind energy projects and has built up an investment portfolio of scale-ups that play an essential role in the energy transition.
With this participation, Big Ass Battery is taking the next step in the realization of its growth ambitions. Founded two years ago, Big Ass Battery is now ready to scale.

“We are very pleased to have YARD ENERGY as a partner,” says Guido de Jong, founder and CTO of Big Ass Battery. “The extensive knowledge and experience that YARD ENERGY brings to energy projects and the energy transition is a valuable addition to our ambition and vision to make sustainable and safe battery technology available. Thanks to the participation of YARD ENERGY, we can expand our market position even further and grow faster. This enables Big Ass Battery to further expand its production capacity and make the product range available to a larger target group. A great step in supporting the energy transition.”

Lex Roukens, Partner YARD ENERGY Group: “We are impressed by the ambitions of the management team and their thorough understanding of battery technologies. Their in-house development of cutting-edge energy storage systems and an appealing customer base, coupled with their strong commercial capabilities, gives us confidence that Big Ass Battery is poised to emerge as a top international contender in the energy storage sector. We look forward to working with the highly motivated management team and majority shareholder Hidden Gems Capital.”

About Big Ass Battery

Big Ass Battery’s battery systems are used to accelerate the energy transition. Big Ass Battery develops and produces energy storage systems entirely in-house, from the battery cell to a complete system. Due to the modular construction of the systems and innovative software, Big Ass Battery products are smart, reliable and safe.

Big Ass Battery’s technology focuses mainly on construction & infrastructure, with applications such as charging electrical construction equipment, providing construction sites with electricity as a sustainable alternative to diesel generators, and fast charging EVs. Big Ass Battery also targets commercial buildings, the agricultural sector and solar parks that want to store solar energy and/or contribute to the imbalance in the electricity grid (grid congestion) – and for that reason want to trade energy on various markets. Big Ass Battery also caters for business premises that have insufficient grid connection and need a grid reinforcement (peak shaving).

Big Ass Battery’s portfolio includes small mobile battery systems from 60 KW power and 50 kWh storage capacity up to 10-foot containers with 1020 KW power and more than 1 MWh storage capacity, which can also be connected to each other, making the storage capacity unlimited.

About Yard Energy Investments

Until 2021, YARD ENERGY was one of the largest private developers and investors in wind energy in the Netherlands, having realized more than 400 MW of onshore wind projects in the Netherlands, Finland, and Poland. The majority of this portfolio has been sold to Eurus Energy, a member of Toyota Group. Since 2020, YARD ENERGY has been strategically investing in companies and projects with a focus on the energy transition. The initial fund, which is entirely self-financed, consists of ten different investments. A subsequent fund focused on the energy transition is currently being launched. Starting from the second quarter of 2023, external parties will also be approached to invest alongside YARD ENERGY in this fund.

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New investors joining in this Series A investment round are YARD ENERGY, Catalus Capital, Invest-NL, ING Sustainable Investments en Somerset Capital Partners. Existing investors (including BOM, DOEN Participations and PVS Investments) will also continue their support. With this new financial injection, the start-up can further develop the technology, prepare the product for mass production and save on the cost price. The Dutch Enterprise Agency also supports LeydenJar with a subsidy of over €5 million.

Growth

Since LeydenJar was formed in 2016 from TNO, it has been working all out for growth and further development of the technology. Increasing the cycle life is a crucial next step in the development of the battery, as well as upscaling the plant in Eindhoven. Furthermore, the tech company also needs people in order to be able to realise that development. While LeydenJar currently has some 20 employees, the company expects this number to grow to at least 70 FTEs in 18 months as a result of this investment.

Founder and director Christian Rood says: ‘With this investment, we can take a major step in accelerating the energy transition, because battery technology is still often the bottleneck for the electrification of cars and many other applications. In the future, we will increasingly use all sorts of applications of batteries. It is therefore extra necessary that they are produced in a sustainable way. We are proud of having been able to win the loyalty of a strong consortium of investors and look forward to developing this technology further, together with our clients.

85% lower footprint

Batteries with high energy density are needed for purposes including the electrification of the car industry. With the battery technology of LeydenJar, an electric vehicle can cover as much as 70% more distance before it needs to be recharged. The battery is also suitable for fast charging, so that you can be on the road again within fifteen minutes. An additional distinctive feature is that the production process for these batteries is also considerably more sustainable than that for ‘ordinary’ li-ion (chargeable) batteries and far less CO2 is therefore reduced in the process: a reduction of as much as 85%.

About LeydenJar

LeydenJar Technologies BV is a European high tech venture, developing pure silicon anodes and its production technology, to boost the energy density of Li-ion battery cells for consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and residential energy storage.

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The energy storage systems are implemented in fully electric ships, powerful hybrid applications in combination with traditional diesel engines, and, recently, with hydrogen technology. EST-Floattech strives to partner up with important stakeholders such as innovative technology-oriented companies, shipyards, system integrators, ship owners, and technical universities. The maritime customer portfolio consists of a wide range of projects consisting covering segments such as superyachts, fishing, ferries, inland shipping, coasters, defense- and workboats. For the mobile land-based sector, EST-Floattech delivers electric batteries for cranes.

YARD ENERGY and EST-Floattech are both Netherlands-based companies and play an important role in the energy transition. YARD ENERGY is an experienced developer in wind energy projects, with extensive knowledge of the development, financing, and implementation of sustainable energy projects on land.

“We are pleased to have YARD ENERGY onboard,” says Hans Visser, CEO of EST-Floattech. “YARD ENERGY’s ambition to contribute to the energy transition through wind-related solutions is strongly in line with our mission to contribute to a clean environment and zero-emission shipping. The investment of YARD ENERGY will accelerate growth, both in the Netherlands and internationally, and realize a rapid growth in our product portfolio. This will speed up the ongoing energy transition considerably”.

“We are proud to have been given the opportunity to team up with EST-Floattech who are leading in their quest to reduce the carbon footprint of the maritime sector. This investment is in line with YARD ENERGY’s broader ambition to accelerate the energy transition over the coming years. We look forward to working with the management team and our partners Ponooc, RPF, and PDENH towards the growth of the company and establish EST Floattech as a global leader for electrification of the maritime sector.” – Lex Roukens, CEO of YARD ENERGY.

About EST-Floattech B.V.

EST-Floattech is specialized in developing reliable, sustainable, and safe battery systems. The in-house developed software is integrated to assure safe delivery and charging of power. Projects with vessels sailing over a decade with our batteries have demonstrated the feasibility and reliability of EST-Floattech’s battery technology.

About EST-Floattech’s Investors

EST-Floattech B.V. is part of the investment fund Ponooc, Rotterdam Port Fund and PDENH. This guarantees continuity of the company and the development of sustainable battery systems.

Ponooc

Ponooc is an independently operating investment fund focused on investments in sustainable energy and mobility. Ponooc is affiliated with the Pon Group, one of the largest family businesses in the Netherlands, operating in 32 countries with 80 companies and more than 12,000 employees worldwide. In addition to EST-Floattech, the current portfolio includes companies that are active in smart city solutions, energy services, and shared mobility.

Rotterdam Port Fund

The Rotterdam Port Fund is an independent investment fund that invests in innovative port-related companies with attractive market potential that contribute to the sustainability, digitization and/or security of the port sector. The fund is an initiative of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, NIBC Bank, InnovationQuarter, Koninklijke Doeksen and the Rotterdam entrepreneurs Peter Goedvolk and Luc Braams.

PDENH

Participatiefonds Duurzame Economie Noord-Holland invests in start-ups, established enterprises, and projects based in North Holland, with sustainable business models that contribute to a sustainable economy. Focus areas of PDENH are energy transition, sustainable mobility, and circular economy.

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Value Maritime‘s patented Filtree System reduces sulfur, particulate matter and CO2 emissions from cargo ships. The plug-and-play Filtree System also helps to reduce acidification of the seawater. With the new collaboration, Value Maritime and YARD ENERGY work on cleaner air and water, using sustainable technology and smart financing.

Smart financing for cleaner shipping
The exhaust filters help shipbuilders and ship owners to comply with international emission guidelines. To make this investment feasible for all shipping parties, Value Maritime offers fully financed filter installations. Shipowners can buy, lease, or pay for the Filtree System based on the fuel costs they save thanks to the system.

“With the additional financing and experience that YARD ENERGY brings, we can offer our new patented filter technology Filtree fully financed turnkey to our customers. Just like you order solar panels for your roof at home, ”says Maarten Lodewijks, co-founder of Value Maritime. “With our Filtree System we contribute to cleaner air and sea and we generate fuel savings for the customer from day one.”

Less emissions, less costs
Since the start of Value Maritime in 2018, the company has helped customers to achieve concrete savings in emissions and in euros. Thanks to their technology, the emission of sulfur oxides (SOx) in shipping has been reduced by 711,450 kg, ships have emitted 42,752 tons of CO2 less, the ultrafine particle emission reduction is equal to 323 million km driving with a diesel car (8,081 laps around the world) and shipping companies saved € 4,5 million in fuel.

“YARD ENERGY believes in sustainable and innovative technologies,” says CEO Lex Roukens. YARD ENERGY is an experienced party in wind energy and an investor in the energy transition. “In addition to our onshore wind-related activities, we invest in companies and projects that accelerate sustainability, such as our investment in Value Maritime and the advanced Filtree System.”

About VALUE MARITIME
Value Maritime is a young maritime technology company from Rotterdam. With their patented Filtree System and their smart financial solutions, they offer shipping a lower ecological footprint and a higher return. Value Maritime consists of a team of experienced engineers and financial experts.

www.valuemaritime.com

About YARD ENERGY
YARD ENERGY is one of the largest private developers and investors in wind energy in the Netherlands and has realized more than 400 MW of onshore wind projects in the Netherlands, Finland and Poland. In addition to its own realized projects, YARD ENERGY invests strategically in companies and projects with a focus on the energy transition.

www.yardenergy.com

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With this transaction, YARD ENERGY increases its position to 80%, with Greenchoice remaining as a 20% co-shareholder. As part of the acquisition, YARD ENERGY also contributes capital, enabling accelerated platform growth.

“YARD ENERGY has proven to be a key partner and shareholder given its in-depth knowledge of the sector and wide network, especially now that we will accelerate our growth”, says Enrique Aparicio Torres, who remains active as CEO. “We will expand the platform’s functionality and invest in our organisation to accelerate innovation and improve the service offering to our customers.”

Established in 2014, Duurzaaminvesteren.nl has enabled raising more than €125 million of debt-financing for over 120 projects. The Amsterdam-based enterprise obtained a licence from AFM (the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets) and operates under the supervision of the Dutch central bank.

“Duurzaaminvesteren.nl has clearly demonstrated its value and performance and has a huge growth potential,” says Lex Roukens, CEO of YARD ENERGY. “There is an increase in private investors seeking to invest in the energy transition. At the same time, there are more sustainable initiatives that need funding. With our investment in Duurzaaminvesteren.nl, we boost the matchmaking process between projects and investors and accelerate the deployment of sustainable solutions.”

DuurzaamInvesteren.nl was established in 2014 by Enrique Aparicio Torres and Barry Pieters. With over 120 projects and €125 million raised, Duurzaaminvesteren.nl is the largest crowdfunding platform in the Dutch sustainable energy space. The platform serves a fast-growing group of private investors who not only chase financial returns but also like to contribute to the energy transition.

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Eurus Energy Group (“Eurus”), a leading Japanese renewable energy company, and YARD ENERGY Group (“YARD”), a Dutch-based developer of wind energy projects, jointly announced today that they have announced today the start of commercial operation of Windpark Deil, a 21 MW wind farm located in the municipality of West Betuwe in Gelderland, the Netherlands.

Windpark Deil consists of five Vestas V136-4.2 MW wind turbines, each with a hub height of 140 meters, a rotor diameter of 136 meters and a rated power of 4.2 MW.

The construction of the wind farm has been managed by YARD ENERGY, from which Eurus acquired the project in 2018.

The power generated at Windpark Deil, which will be sufficient for supplying renewable electricity for more than 26,000 households, will be sold to Eneco Group.

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Eurus Energy Group (“Eurus”), a leading Japanese renewable energy company, and YARD ENERGY Group (“YARD”), a Dutch-based developer of wind energy projects, jointly announced today that they have achieved financial close for the construction of Windpark Mauve, Windpark Mondriaan and Windpark Vermeer, with a combined capacity of 155 MW, in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. Eurus acquired the projects from YARD prior to financial close. YARD will remain as a minority shareholder in the projects.

Windpark Mauve and Windpark Mondriaan will be built near the Port of Delfzijl and will consist respectively of seven and nine wind turbines. Both projects will be financed by Rabobank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. Windpark Vermeer, consisting of twenty wind turbines, will be located approximately 20 km to the south of the two other wind farms, and will also be financed by the two banks, together with ABN AMRO Bank and BNG Bank. Eneco will offtake the renewable electricity from all three wind farms, in an amount equivalent to the annual consumption of approximately 200,000 households.

The three wind farms will bring the total wind capacity of Eurus in the Netherlands to 303 MW by 2021, when all three wind farms are expected to start operation. Hidenori Mitsuoka, Managing Director of Eurus Energy Europe, stated: “Thanks to the successful partnership with YARD ENERGY, our portfolio in the Netherlands will soon become our second largest in Europe after Spain. We hope to grow our Dutch business further and thus contribute to achieving the EU target of 40% greenhouse gas reduction by 2030.”

YARD has been working on the development of the three wind farms since 2014, and will also manage their construction. Kevin Dijkers, CEO of YARD, commented: “Reaching financial close of these three wind farms again proves that entering into a strategic partnership with Eurus Energy was the right decision. Working together with our reliable partner, we were able to accelerate our development process and reach financial close earlier than anticipated. The three projects significantly contribute to the Dutch targets for renewable energy, and we are very proud of this result.”

Stibbe, Clifford Chance, and Cees Advocaten provided legal advisory services, PwC and mth accountants & adviseurs provided tax advisory services, and IX Wind provided technical services for the transaction. Allen & Overy, DNV GL, Loyens & Loeff, and Marsh provided the lenders with legal, technical, tax, and insurance advice respectively, and Rebel audited the financial model.

About Eurus Energy Group (www.eurus-europe.com)

Eurus Energy Group develops, invests in and operates renewable energy projects globally. Starting from its first project in California in 1987, Eurus now has over 2.8 GW of wind and solar power generation worldwide. Amsterdam-based Eurus Energy Europe B.V. jointly owned by Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.

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