CEE Operations

In CEE Operations, the CEE Group has an experienced team of asset managers for the commercial operations of wind and solar farms. We have managed our entire portfolio ourselves since 2011. CEE Operations is also responsible for the CEE Group’s parts of commercial due diligence.

Our offering

CEEO performs all the services related to the commercial operations of the CEE Group’s portfolio:

Enhancement of technical performance
By closely controlling our technical service providers, retrofitting all plants with our own sensor systems and monitoring assets in a redundant control room, we enhance the technical performance of our assets.

The measures we take to optimise returns go well beyond market standards and include the following:

•   Special inspections
•   Autonomous radiation sensor systems
•   Autonomous metrology systems
•   Investor control room
Communications with all project participants and contractual partners
Communications with project participants play a key role in commercial management. CEE Operations has a broad network and in-depth know-how in dealing with a range of very diverse partners.
Contract management
Contract management embraces all activities regarding the administration of contracts required for structured asset management:

• Compliance with own obligations
• Deadline monitoring
• Monitoring contractual partners’ compliance with their obligations
• Central organisation
Bookkeeping and accounting
This area covers the billing for all project-related work. Clear processes are self-evident for us. Our range of work also includes providing support in the preparation of the annual financial statements.
Liquidity management / Financial controlling
One of our tasks is to monitor all payment streams between the participants. This includes the planning and controlling of payouts.
Optimising operating costs
Operating cost optimisation is part of our DNA. With regular calls for tenders, we exploit CEE’s own large portfolio and generate synergies and economies of scale. The size of our portfolio enables us to negotiate advantageous terms especially in agreements with service providers and optimise the return on the projects on an ongoing basis.

By pursuing a rigorous portfolio approach, we cut the operating costs of assets in the following areas:

• Own electricity procurement
• Insurance
• Direct marketing
• Technical operations

OPEX for a solar PV power plant is typically broken down as follows:

Our approach

Our aim is to handle all steps ourselves – from the initial examination of the investment idea to commercial management in the implementation of a project. For us, this means always having a clear idea of where we stand. Our team has extensive methodological expertise to ensure that investments in our alternative projects proceed smoothly. Our daily work in managing our project assets is guided by two principles:

Ongoing optimisation of returns
In addition to enhancing returns through technical optimisation, we focus in particular on regularly and systematically reducing operating costs.
Reduction in project risks through best-practice management
Our competent employees manage all assets with efficient tools, coordinated systems and well-established processes. These enable us to reduce project risks in key areas.

We work in selected industry associations and provide input to shape the sector’s key themes and developments. At present, we are engaged in the following associations:

BDEW Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft e. V.

BSW Bundesverband Solarwirtschaft e. V.

BWE Bundesverband WindEnergie e. V.

EUROSOLAR e. V.

DFBEW Deutsch-französisches Büro für die Energiewende

VDI / VDE

Our business areas

We invest in renewable energy production mainly through our own project companies. The size of the investment depends on the risks involved. Learn more about our business areas below:

Solar PV power
Wind power

Solar PV power

In solar PV, CEE invests mainly in solar farms in Germany and other countries. Our investment focus is on portfolios with smaller farms as well as larger parks with ground-mounted modules. A very wide range of components are used in the installations. Depending on the project, thin-layer or crystalline modules are used. PV projects are attractive equity investments that secure consistently high returns.

Wind power

Among renewable energies, wind power is one of the most established sources of energy and is based on very mature technology. The technical availability of wind farms fitted with modern systems is high. We are in the process of rapidly raising the share of wind power in our portfolio in the onshore segment, as we see attractive investment opportunities especially in Germany and France. We invest both in existing farms and in projects still at the planning stage with a minimum capacity of 5 megawatts.