Welcome

Energy companies, investors and innovators

Hannes Consulting was founded as Management Consultancy for the Energy industry in early 2014 and works on strategic and operational issues for energy companies, investors and innovators.

The energy markets in Europe and particularly in Germany undergo continuous and significant changes since more than 20 years. Whereas during the 90’s the focus was on the implementation of the European Single Market directive, the challenges have become more complex and tough since then. Meanwhile, the traditional central generation is under enormous pressure and hardly profitable.

In the meantime, more and more distributed, customer-oriented generation is entering the market. In just a few years, it will account for 60%, and in the future 70%, of total installed capacity.  This is increasingly questioning the traditional utility business model.

Although electricity sales are enjoying rising margins again, they are subject to intense competition due to low barriers to entry. And distributed generation, which is offered by a large number of “energy SMEs,” is doing the rest. All in all, the previous, traditional utility business model is at stake. The new business model is not yet clearly identifiable. The only thing that is certain is that the business will be more small-scale in many areas than in the past. Investments in renewable generation are one focus. Other current considerations revolve around distributed energy (renewable and conventional), generally around customer-oriented and smart solutions for private and commercial customers, for industry and for municipalities, around electromobility, around gaining data sovereignity over (energy) consumption and other customer data, and around advising customers on energy efficiency measures as an entry into further solutions business.

A large share of our consulting work is therefore currently devoted to corporate and business unit strategy projects and expanding the  business model of municipal and regional utilities as well as large energy companies. We support innovators and newcomers in entering the German energy market. A particular focus is on projects in the fields of renewable energy and distributed generation. We have supported several energy companies and investors in the preparation of and during acquisitions and divestments as well as foreign energy companies looking at investment opportunities in the German market. Another focus is on transformational projects, e.g. the operational alignment of marketing and sales and cost reductions along the value chain.


The founder and owner of Hannes Consulting, Dr. Berthold Hannes, has more than 30 years of management consulting and leadership experience, including more than 20 years as a partner in the well-known international management consulting firms A.T. Kearney and Bain & Company. We cordially invite you to learn more about our profile and expertise. We look forward to hearing from you, please feel free to contact us.

Dr. Hannes Consulting has been a member of Turn To Zero since June 2017 and calculates its greenhouse gas emissions annually with the aim of reducing them. Between 2016 and 2022, a reduction of almost 8 tons annually (80%) was achieved. Please read here about the details and the background.