The OEM as the missing link

Three weeks on from Intersolar and Power2Drive in Munich, one conversation keeps repeating. Manufacturers of distributed energy devices, together with their networks of distributors and installers, are the primary link between consumers and the energy ecosystem. Nobody disputes this anymore. The question is what to do with it.

On paper, the value chain looks simple: consumer, asset, installer, manufacturer, energy market. In practice, it is full of friction. OEMs are measured on hardware sales. Installers have limited time on site. Every additional element to explain at the point of sale, whether an energy contract or a flexibility service, feels like an obstacle rather than an opportunity.

And yet nobody in the industry believes there is a way around it.

The pressure is real

Hardware margins are under sustained pressure. The cost of solar modules has fallen by more than 45%, and installer margins on typical home systems have compressed from 25-30% to single digits. Customer acquisition costs are rising, permitting and regulatory requirements keep shifting, and skilled labour is scarce. Differentiation on hardware alone is getting harder every quarter.

Munich made the competitive picture visible in the floor plan itself. Chinese manufacturers at scale now hold the centre of the market, while European manufacturing remains strongest in niche applications such as solar roof tiles, at least for now.

Against that backdrop, energy services, and flexibility in particular, have emerged as one of the clearest paths to new revenue, deeper consumer relationships, and long-term data assets. They will not transform the core P&L overnight. But the direction is unmistakable. Across inverter, battery, and EV charging manufacturers, the conversations have shifted. The OEMs that engaged with flexibility programs early are already seeing the difference: direct customer relationships, new revenue lines, and a stronger proposition for their installer networks.

The question is no longer whether OEMs should engage with flexibility. It is how.

The positioning dilemma

This is where it gets difficult. Energy services are, for most OEMs, an entirely new business. They sit outside the core P&L, outside existing teams, and outside existing market knowledge. They demand different decisions and different capabilities.

Every manufacturer therefore faces a genuine strategic choice. One path is enablement: opening asset access broadly to third parties to maximise reach and integration. The other is becoming an energy service provider, whether under their own brand or as a white label, and stepping fully into a new and highly competitive industry.

Neither answer is wrong, but each carries its own advantages and costs. Manufacturers that open their APIs to every utility are welcomed by the whole market, yet often struggle to build sustainable margins on connectivity alone. Manufacturers that launch their own energy tariffs can capture higher margins, but find themselves competing directly with the utilities that sell their hardware.

The model that works for one manufacturer creates friction for another. Market context, customer base, commercial ambitions, and a clear view of where the business needs to be in five years all shape the decision.

This is where Beebop comes in. We work with OEMs from strategic positioning through to country-specific monetisation and partner selection on both paths. Through a single integration, Beebop's flexibility layer connects a manufacturer's installed base to a growing network of utility partners across Europe, with market regulation and customer governance handled from day one.

Where and how do you start?

That is the question Beebop works through with OEMs every day. Not with a generic playbook, but from each manufacturer's specific context: their device portfolio, their installer network, their target markets, and their commercial goals.

A large part of the value lies in matchmaking: identifying the utility and grid operator programs where a manufacturer's installed base can earn real returns, and aligning incentives so the OEM, the installer, and the end customer all benefit. The technology matters, but it is alignment and joint goal setting that make it work.

The infrastructure to connect distributed assets to flexibility programs exists. The market demand is there. What OEMs value in Beebop is a partner who understands both sides of the equation: the hardware reality and the energy market mechanics.

That is what we are built for.

Wondering which flexibility model fits your business? Start here.