CELLCUBE BATTERY STORAGE SYSTEM AT NAGEL-GROUP'S BOCHUM SITE ENSURES SUSTAINABILITY, COST-EFFECTIVENESS AND PROCESS RELIABILITY

Bochum, 09 March 2026. The combination of a new energy management system and an innovative redox flow storage system now ensures more efficient use of the photovoltaic system at the Nagel-Group site in Bochum. Thanks to targeted control, the electricity produced can now be used 100 percent on site. In this way, the food logistics company not only works more sustainably and economically, but can also compensate for peak loads in a targeted manner through forward-looking planning.

Since 2020, there has been a PV system on the roofs of the branch, which is still unique in the region in terms of size and performance. Around 8,000 modules cover an area of 13,000 square meters here. The 2 million kilowatt hours produced per year would be enough to supply about 650 single-family homes or 1,500 single apartments. So far, however, the electricity has only been partially used on site. While the refrigeration system and the all-electric trucks could be operated with the energy when the sun was shining, the company was still increasingly dependent on external sources at night or during peak loads. At the same time, more electricity was produced than could be consumed under optimal weather conditions. The self-use rate was around 60 percent on average, the rest had to be fed into the grid.

Redox flow battery enables efficient deployment

To ensure more autonomy, an innovative battery storage system was installed at the branch in the summer of 2025. The energy storage solution developed by the company CellCube works according to the redox flow principle: As a storage medium, electrolytes are stored in two separate tanks. In separate circuits, they are pumped through a cell, in which stored energy is then provided as electrical energy as needed. "The vanadium electrolyte we use is recycled from by-products of the steel industry. It is non-flammable, reusable and contains no rare earths, which represents a significant environmental advantage over conventional battery systems," says Christoph Stelzer, COO of CellCube Energy Storage GmbH, explaining the properties of the vanadium flow technology.

In addition to a significantly better environmental balance, this solution has many other advantages over conventional lithium-ion batteries. For example, the battery can be charged and discharged at the same time, energy can be stored flexibly and made available in a targeted manner over a discharge period of 4 to more than 24 hours. The capacity depends on the size of the tanks, the performance on the size of the cell. Accordingly, both aspects can be scaled independently of each other and adapted to demand. And thanks to the average service life of around 30 years with more than 30,000 charging cycles, the redox flow technology fully meets the special requirements of the food logistics company.

Maximum self-use thanks to proactive control

With the new storage system, the Nagel-Group had already come a big step closer to its goal of completely self-use of the electricity produced on site. One challenge remained: "Thanks to the battery storage system, we can control the power consumption and output even more efficiently," describes Sven Budde, Technical Manager of the Nagel-Group at the Bochum site. "The sun does not always shine over the Ruhr area and we sometimes have strong load fluctuations. In order to prevent peaks, we must be able to plan ahead," Budde continued.

Together with CellCube and Solar-E-Technik Hamm GmbH, an application has therefore been developed that makes exactly this controllable. After an intensive development phase, the energy management system was subjected to initial tests in December 2025. After a short period of fine-tuning, the declared goal of 100 percent self-use of the green electricity produced locally was achieved. A great success for the environment, which also benefits the company. In addition, the storage system can act as an emergency generator in extreme cases and compensate for power outages. A rescue parachute that can be invaluable in food logistics.

A scalable system with model character

"Logistics is an energy-intensive industry. The sustainable use of electricity as a resource is not only of great ecological importance, but also of economic importance. Thanks to the new redox flow battery from CellCube, the Nagel-Group has taken a big step closer to its strategic goal of sustainable logistics," explains André Pleines, Executive Director Real Estate at the Nagel-Group.

The commissioning of the system represents the final step in linking the electricity-generating infrastructure on site. At the same time, it is the starting point for further projects at this and other branches of the Nagel-Group. For example, the expansion of the PV rooftop system in Bochum will begin in March, increasing the maximum output by an additional 1.2 megawatts. In addition, the successful model from the Ruhr region will also be implemented at other locations in the future. The go-ahead has already been given for comparable projects at the branches in Hamburg and Schweitenkirchen.

• PM_Nagel-Group_ CellCube battery storage system at the Nagel-Group site in Bochum:

The redox flow battery storage system from CellCube installed at the Bochum site, in combination with the new energy management system, enables the complete self-use of the solar power produced on site, thus increasing the sustainability, cost-effectiveness and process reliability of the Nagel-Group. (Photo: Nagel-Group)

Contact for editors:

Marie Hinzmann

Press Spokesperson

Nagel-Group Logistics SE

Friedrich-Menzefricke-Str. 6

33775 Versmold

Phone: +49 (0) 5423 / 960 546

Marie.Hinzmann@nagel-group.com

www.nagel-group.com

About the Nagel-Group:

The Nagel-Group is one of the leading food logistics companies in Europe. With a turnover of 2.3 billion euros and around 11,000 employees at more than 130 locations, the family-owned company connects producers and retailers along the entire food supply chain. The Nagel-Group moves over 105,000 shipments from dry to frozen food every day and ensures the highest quality and efficiency with tailor-made transport and contract logistics solutions. Since 2022, the subsidiary B+S Logistik und Dienstleistungen has been part of the Nagel-Group. The focus of B+S Logistik is on contract logistics and e-commerce fulfillment. As a specialist in temperature-controlled food logistics, the Nagel-Group stands for reliability, innovative strength and sustainable action. With initiatives for decarbonization, investments in digital processes and the corporate venture LEAFR, the group of companies is actively shaping the future of food logistics.

www.nagel-group.com

About CellCube:

CellCube, based in Austria, is a leading provider of vanadium flow energy storage. The systems are developed and manufactured in Austria and offer a safe, sustainable and cost-efficient solution for the intermediate storage of energy – with an operating time of four to over 24 hours. With decades of experience, more than 140 installed projects worldwide and the longest operating vanadium flow battery in the field (at 15 years), CellCube is a reliable partner for industry, utilities and critical infrastructures. More at: www.cellcube.com