Stadtwerke Duisburg Energiehandel GmbH has started participating in our virtual Battery Auction (VBA) on the LAYR platform
Following the VBA close, Stadtwerke Duisburg Energiehandel, our strategic partner and LAYR user, can now flexibly access our battery storage capacity, from single-day use to multi-year arrangements through our flexibility auctions on LAYR. This has already been complemented by a successfully concluded short-term tolling framework agreement on our platform.
Flexible access to battery storage
This framework enables Stadtwerke Duisburg Energiehandel to adapt their energy strategy in line with market conditions. By removing rigid commitment periods and operational complexity, the model provides a practical way to optimise trading, manage risk, and respond to short- and long-term price signals.
“With its LAYR platform, terralayr provides an excellent environment for next-generation flexibility trading. In particular, VBAs are a powerful instrument for both hedging solar structures and unlocking new trading opportunities. Fully standardised and virtualised, VBAs are ideally suited to the needs of modern trading houses and utilities.”
Says Dr. Michael Arnold, Managing Director of Stadtwerke Duisburg Energiehandel GmbH.
What is a Virtual Battery Auction?
A Virtual Battery Auction is a financial “renting” mechanism. Companies bid for the right to use a physical battery’s storage capacity without owning the asset.
LAYR acts as the digital bridge, via API, that translates a physical battery’s real-time hardware data into a virtual product. It standardises the battery's state of charge and capacity, so it can be carved up and sold in an auction to different bidders. The battery is now a digital asset on LAYR so users can execute cross-market strategies, switching instantly between arbitrage, frequency control (FCAs) or grid services to maximise profit across different energy markets.
Value for offtakers and asset owners
The successful bidder can virtually charge the battery when prices are low and discharge when prices are high, capturing the price spread while paying the asset owner a fixed fee. This creates a straightforward hedge against market volatility without the need to invest in or operate hardware, resulting in improved capital efficiency and greater operational flexibility.
Asset owners benefit by offloading financial risk and securing guaranteed income, increasing project attractiveness to banks and investors. VBA removes the need for the asset owner to manage daily market price fluctuations, providing an additional lever to adjust the risk-return profile.
Looking ahead!
We thank Stadtwerke Duisburg Energiehandel for their continued trust and collaboration.
Partnerships like this demonstrate how innovative market structures can accelerate the energy transition in a tangible and scalable way. Together we are thriving towards terralayr’s vision of providing energy flexibility on demand as a cornerstone of the energy transition.