Dutch battery operator Return and investor N2OFF, Inc. announced separate moves on Germany BESS projects on 2025-09-11–12, with Return acquiring four ready-to-build (RTB) battery projects and N2OFF agreeing fresh financing to add a 107 MW / 214 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) to an existing 115 MWp solar site, moves industry sources say will accelerate merchant and co-located storage deployment in German markets.
European BESS activity picked up pace this week as two distinct players signalled development momentum in Germany, a market now awash with interconnection applications but still seeking bankable projects to translate pipeline volume into operating assets.
Return, a Netherlands-based independent storage operator, said it has acquired four ready-to-build battery projects in Germany under its Lion/RTB pipeline strategy. The company framed the purchases as part of its growth plan to own and operate utility-scale storage assets across Europe.
Separately, N2OFF, a cleantech investor listed in the U.S., confirmed it will extend additional debt financing to Solterra Renewable Energy Ltd to integrate a 107 MW / 214 MWh BESS with the existing 115 MWp Melz solar photovoltaic project, citing improved revenue prospects from shifting generation into peak price windows and providing ancillary services.
Industry outlets note the timing comes against a backdrop of a heavily congested German grid interconnection queue — local reporting has cited more than 500 GW of storage projects in development — highlighting the challenge of converting pipeline interest into commissioned capacity.
Market participants said the two announcements illustrate two common commercial approaches: Return’s buy-and-build operator model that acquires RTB assets to expedite route-to-market, and N2OFF’s investor-led model that layers BESS onto existing solar to capture time-shift and merchant value streams. Analysts add each approach faces similar execution risks — grid connection delays, permitting, and merchant price volatility — but both benefit from rising procurement interest among utilities and corporates seeking firm, dispatchable capacity.
N2OFF’s public filings and prior press releases indicate it has been active across southern Europe on storage deals and will initially provide incremental financing (reported at roughly €600,000 for the Melz expansion tranche) to secure integration and grid connection milestones before larger capital calls, according to company statements. Data not provided for some financing specifics beyond the €600,000 tranche reported in market summaries; full lending agreements were not published by N2OFF at time of reporting.
Return, which has publicised larger flagship projects elsewhere in Europe, said the German RTB acquisitions support its strategy to shorten development timelines by buying projects that have secured key permits and grid offers; the company did not disclose aggregated capacity for the four sites in its public note.
Outlook: The twin announcements reflect growing investor confidence in converting solar and standalone opportunities into operating BESS assets in Germany, but they also underscore persistent constraints — grid queue congestion, permitting complexity and the need for substantial capex — that will determine how much of the development pipeline reaches commercial operation.