4 November 2026
By the Donovan–Shell Archive
There is something rather extraordinary about the continuing Sonnen saga.
In Germany, the former Shell-owned battery-storage pioneer is struggling through insolvency proceedings.
In America, a business operating under the same name is helping launch what its partners describe as Michigan’s first residential battery virtual power plant pilot.
Same technological heritage. Same familiar Sonnen name.
Two remarkably different corporate fortunes.
And somewhere in the background stands Shell plc, the oil and gas giant that acquired Sonnen in 2019 as part of its clean-energy ambitions, then sold the business in August 2026.
For anyone attempting to understand Shell’s energy transition, the…