As blackouts loom, this startup secures €42m to balance the power grid: 'Europe needs energy resilience'
17 sep. 2025
07:00
Sweeping blackouts in Spain and Portugal earlier this year put the microscope on Europe's aging power grid.
As politicians debate the way forward, Dutch startup Sympower is pushing "demand response" software as one potential solution to boost grid resilience – and its just raised fresh capital to scale.
"Demand response is low-hanging fruit," Simon Bushnell, Sympower's CEO and co-founder, tells Impact Loop.
But despite the potential benefits, some big energy players are pushing back against the adoption of the technology.
As politicians debate the way forward, Dutch startup Sympower is pushing "demand response" software as one potential solution to boost grid resilience – and its just raised fresh capital to scale.
"Demand response is low-hanging fruit," Simon Bushnell, Sympower's CEO and co-founder, tells Impact Loop.
But despite the potential benefits, some big energy players are pushing back against the adoption of the technology.
Europe is electrifying – cars are becoming battery-powered, gas boilers are being replaced by heat pumps, and massive data centres are plugging into green energy.
That surge in electricity demand is a good sign for the energy transition, but is placing strain on Europe’s aging power grid. The EU estimates that upgrading the grid to handle these new loads could cost over €2 trillion by 2050. Left unchecked, experts warn that disruptions like the sweeping black...