I Squared Capital, a leading independent global infrastructure investment manager, announced today that its renewables platform Cube Green Energy has signed an agreement to acquire control of SUNfarming, a leading German photovoltaic (PV) developer and independent power producer with a focus on solar projects on agricultural land, known as "Agri-PV". By joining forces with the founders of SUNfarming, Cube Green Energy will have an early-mover advantage in Germany's Agri-PV market, unlocking synergies and advancing the company's commitment to innovative solutions for Germany's energy transition goals.
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SUNfarming development (Photo: Business Wire)
Agri-PV is an important segment in the German energy market as the country seeks to transition towards a fully decarbonized power system while ensuring a more independent, affordable, and resilient domestic energy supply. Agri-PV will also help Germany meet its PV capacity target of 215 GW by 2030 while preserving agricultural production.
SUNfarming is a German family-owned renewables developer which has built more than 650 MW of PV projects across Europe and developed a pipeline of close to 2 GW of Agri-PV capacity. The company is a market leader in the high-growth Agri-PV segment in Germany with expertise across the PV value chain from planning and construction to operational asset management. SUNfarming's founding families trace their roots to the German farming sector resulting in deep and trusted relationships with farmers and local municipalities.
Through the combination, I Squared and Cube Green Energy will support SUNfarming in planning, constructing, and operating its ambitious pipeline. I Squared is targeting to deploy over €500 million of capital expenditure into the execution of SUNfarming's Agri-PV pipeline by 2028, which will also provide the company with access to I Squared's global equipment procurement strategy and scale. Since 2014, I Squared has committed $7 billion to wider energy transition initiatives.
Mohamed El Gazzar, Senior Partner at I Squared, said: "The expansion of renewable energies, and in particular solar energy, is an indispensable building block for achieving climate targets. As a German leader in Agri-PV, SUNfarming offers a win-win solution for climate and agriculture, which I Squared is delighted to support. We are excited to work with SUNfarming's experienced management team to unlock the company's full potential within the fast-growing renewable energy market in Germany."
Raghuveer Kurada, CEO of Cube Green Energy, said: "Joining forces with SUNfarming presents Cube Green Energy with significant synergies in its existing onshore wind development business and neatly complements our strategy to implement innovative solutions for a future with 24/7 renewable energy. Cube Green Energy is delighted to have found a partner in SUNfarming that shares our values, and we look forward to working with such a highly successful and diversified renewables platform in Germany."
Peter Schrum, founder of SUNfarming, said: "This transaction marks an exciting next stage for our company and brings us an important step closer to the crucial goal of driving the energy transition and creating a greener future. I Squared's investment via Cube Green Energy gives further tailwind to SUNfarming's dynamic development and underlines our strong position in the Agri-PV market. The deep market know-how as well as the financial strength of our new partner will help us to continue the success story of SUNfarming in the future. Our partners, customers, and employees will continue to receive services based on our core principles of reliability, sustainable growth, and responsibility."
The parties have agreed to not disclose the financial details of the transaction, which is expected to close by Q1 2025. The transaction remains subject to obtaining customary regulatory clearances and conditions. SUNfarming founders and key management will retain a significant minority shareholding position and will otherwise continue their existing role in the company.
About I Squared
I Squared is a leading independent global infrastructure investor with over $40 billion in assets under management. We are known for the development of investment platforms in infrastructure projects where we start small and grow big. We use global insights and deep local intelligence to solve complex problems, foster smarter businesses, serve local communities, and invest in a more sustainable future to provide essential services to millions of people around the world. We are a team of over 280 people, headquartered in Miami with offices in Abu Dhabi, London, Munich, New Delhi, São Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Taipei. We operate a diverse portfolio of 86 companies in more than 70 countries with over 66,000 employees in a variety of sectors including utilities, energy, digital infrastructure, transport, environmental infrastructure, and social infrastructure. You can find out more by visiting: www.isquaredcapital.com.
About SUNfarming
SUNfarming was founded in 2004 as a medium-sized family business by main shareholder Peter Schrum and his partner Martin Tauschke in Erkner near Berlin. The company employs around 120 employees in Germany and Poland and operates in all areas of photovoltaics with a focus on Agri-PV, Biodiversity PV, Floating PV, Rooftop PV, and Eco PV. With a track record of 650 MW PV developments and installations and more than 250 MW maintenance of operating PV plants, SUNfarming is established as one of the leading and long-lasting companies in the German and European solar market. You can find out more by visiting: www.sunfarming.de.
About Cube Green Energy
Cube Green Energy is a Berlin-based independent power producer and renewables developer focused on implementing innovative solutions to power the energy transition. A portfolio company of I Squared Capital, Cube Green Energy has a mission to accelerate Europe's shift to a zero-carbon economy by upgrading and repowering existing onshore wind farms, developing new renewable energy farms and deploying state-of-the-art battery storage solutions to enable an emissons free future. You can find out more by visiting: www.cubegreenenergy.com.
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No discussion with respect to specific companies should be considered a recommendation to purchase or sell any particular investment. The companies discussed do not represent all past investments. It should not be assumed that any of the investments discussed were or will be profitable, or that recommendations or decisions made in the future will be profitable. Past performance is not indicative of future results, and there can be no assurance that any investment will achieve similar returns.
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Contacts:
I Squared
Dominic McMullan/ Shelly Hagan
info@isquaredcapital.com
Brunswick Group
Alexa von Dryander
+49 (0)172 688 738
Tobias Niehaus
+49 (0)174 195 2439
ISquaredGER@brunswickgroup.com
