Quick answer
Battery as a Service (BaaS) is a model in which a third party finances, installs, operates and maintains a commercial battery, while your business pays a fixed periodic fee or shares the revenues. You get the benefits of storage — lower peak costs, more self-consumption, flexibility income — without tying up capital or carrying technical risk.
What exactly is Battery as a Service?
With BaaS, the battery remains the property of the service provider. That party carries the full investment (CAPEX) and handles engineering, installation, permits, insurance and maintenance, operating the battery with its own energy management system. You provide the site and the consumption profile; the provider brings the battery and the expertise.
Compensation typically runs through a fixed monthly fee, a revenue-sharing formula, or a combination of both. Contracts usually run 10 to 15 years, aligned with the technical lifetime of the battery.
BaaS versus buying outright: an honest comparison
| Criterion | Buying outright (CAPEX) | Battery as a Service |
|---|---|---|
| Investment | €150,000 – €1,000,000+ depending on power | None — the provider finances |
| Technical risk | Yours (degradation, failures, control) | The provider's |
| Revenues | 100% yours, but 100% of the market risk too | Shared or bought out via fixed fee |
| Maintenance & monitoring | Organise yourself or separate contract | Included |
| Balance sheet impact | Asset on your balance sheet, depreciation | Operating cost, balance sheet stays free |
| Flexibility when consumption changes | Limited — you're stuck with the hardware | Contractually adjustable |
Where do the revenues come from?
A well-operated commercial battery stacks multiple value streams. In a BaaS contract these are typically split between you and the provider:
- Peak shaving: lower capacity-based grid costs by flattening monthly peaks.
- Self-consumption: use more of your own solar power instead of injecting it cheaply.
- Flexibility: income from the imbalance market and reserve services via an aggregator or VPP.
- Arbitrage: charge during cheap or negative hours, discharge during expensive hours.
Who does Battery as a Service suit?
BaaS is most attractive for companies that want the energy benefits but prefer to spend their investment capacity on their core business. Typical profiles: production companies with spiky consumption, logistics sites with charging infrastructure, and rooftop owners with a large solar park and limited self-consumption.
From what size? In practice BaaS becomes interesting from a connection with a monthly peak of roughly 100 kW or a solar park of 100 kWp and up. Below that, the fixed costs of control and maintenance weigh too heavily.
How CleverNett approaches this
CleverNett finances, builds and operates hybrid solar parks and commercial batteries under its own management. With more than 85 MW of solar panels and over 45 MWh of battery storage, we are Belgium's largest hybrid solar producer. In our model you invest nothing: you buy green power at a fixed price through a corporate PPA, while we operate the battery optimally across peaks, self-consumption and flexibility markets.
Frequently asked questions
What does Battery as a Service cost per month?
It depends on power, capacity and the compensation structure. In a revenue-sharing model you pay nothing fixed but hand over a percentage of the battery's revenues; in a fixed-fee model the fee typically sits below the expected saving, so the business case is positive from day one.
Who owns the battery during the contract?
The service provider. At the end of the contract there is often a buy-out option at residual value, or the battery is removed free of charge. This is fixed contractually.
What happens if my consumption changes significantly?
Good BaaS contracts include a revision clause: thresholds and control parameters are adjusted to your new profile. That is one of the advantages over buying outright, where you would be stuck with wrongly sized hardware.
Is BaaS the same as leasing?
No. With leasing you remain responsible for operation, maintenance and revenues. With BaaS the provider takes over that responsibility entirely, including the market risk on flexibility income.