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German clean energy company 1KOMMA5° has reached a major milestone in its ambition to build one of Europe’s largest residential virtual power plants, announcing that it can now manage 1 GW of flexible electricity capacity through its growing network of connected households.
The flexibility comes from thousands of customers equipped with rooftop solar panels, battery storage systems, heat pumps and EV chargers, all orchestrated through the company’s Heartbeat AI energy management platform. According to 1KOMMA5°, this represents roughly one-eightieth of Germany’s peak electricity demand.
The announcement highlights the growing role that residential energy assets are expected to play in balancing Europe’s increasingly renewable electricity system. Rather than simply generating solar power for self-consumption, connected homes can automatically adjust when they consume, store or export electricity based on market prices and grid conditions.
“Our goal is to ensure households always use the cheapest and cleanest electricity available while contributing to a more stable power system,” said Philipp Schröder, Co-Founder and CEO of 1KOMMA5°, in an interview with pv magazine.
Heartbeat AI currently manages more than 100,000 connected energy systems. The software continuously optimizes energy flows by coordinating solar generation, battery storage, heat pumps and EV charging according to real-time electricity prices.
The company plans to significantly scale its platform over the coming years, targeting 20 GW of controllable capacity by 2030. Achieving that goal would make residential flexibility an increasingly important component of Europe’s electricity infrastructure.
A key part of the strategy is opening Heartbeat AI beyond systems installed by 1KOMMA5° itself. Homeowners with compatible equipment can now connect to the platform through participating installers or by installing the company’s energy management device, allowing existing solar installations to benefit from AI-driven optimization without replacing their entire system.
The move reflects a broader shift within Europe’s energy sector, where software is becoming just as important as physical infrastructure. As more households adopt solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles, intelligent energy management platforms are emerging as the layer that connects these technologies into a single, responsive ecosystem.
Schröder also used the announcement to argue that Germany should gradually move away from traditional feed-in tariffs in favour of market-based incentives. Rather than automatically exporting surplus electricity, he believes households should be rewarded for responding to real-time price signals, helping reduce grid congestion while maximizing the value of renewable generation.
Although the transition to direct electricity marketing still faces regulatory and administrative challenges, 1KOMMA5° sees intelligent energy management as the foundation of a more flexible electricity system—one in which millions of connected homes actively support grid stability while lowering consumers’ energy costs.
As Europe continues to electrify homes, transport and heating, virtual power plants like 1KOMMA5°’s could become an increasingly important tool for integrating renewable energy and creating a smarter, more resilient power network.
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