By Kari Williamson

The move is part of Gamesa's technological diversification strategy, and is being executed via its investment fund, Gamesa Venture Capital.

Gamesa Venture Capital has acquired a 20% stake in N2S to bolster and enhance its presence in two of its venture capital fund's target technologies: green mobility, or electric vehicles, and energy efficiency.

Through its technological diversification strategy, Gamesa says it aims to take an active role in high-growth alternative energy sources, secure innovation and complement and capitalise on synergies with Gamesa's manufacturing activities.

Gamesa Venture Capital plans to invest up to €50 million through 2016 to buy stakes, initially minority shareholdings, in start-ups and growth ventures engaged in the development of technologies with promising potential for future growth.
 
“The stake in N2S represents a major step forward in the Gamesa Venture Capital project, because it enhances our skills in market segments of strategic importance for Gamesa and because it offers many synergies which both companies can deploy in international markets. In N2S we have found a very solid team which, in its short existence, is already developing reliable, time-tested and state-of-the-art technologies. Together we will strengthen strategic business lines and cement their international expansion process,” says David Mesonero, Gamesa Venture Capital’s Director.

Electric vehicles

Gamesa has already designed several models of electric vehicle charging stations, which it will begin manufacturing in 2012 at its electrical components factory in Valencia, and already has a contract with Iberdrola to supply and market charging stations.

Meanwhile, N2S has developed a platform for real-time intelligent management of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure, under the trade name POWER2DRIVE. The charge can be controlled in simple fashion from any computer, tablet or mobile telephone. The system is suitable for equipment produced by any manufacturer of the charging stations now on the market.

Energy efficiency

Gamesa says optimising cost of energy (CoE) and energy efficiency are also priority areas, and the company is already at work conducting audits and identifying cost of energy savings, both at its own facilities and at those of its external clients.

N2S will complement these capabilities with its web-based, real-time service for managing energy usage (POWER2ENERGY), which may be accessed from any computer, tablet or mobile phone. The system collects data and monitors the energy yield of a range of usage groups, enabling customers to act on the data. Moreover, it generates comparisons with data from other buildings or facilities to facilitate decision-making on policies for managing energy efficiency.