The future of long duration energy storage is here
We are Elestor
With a focus on decarbonization and societal impact, we aim to revolutionize the energy system. In the process, we create green jobs and contribute to the creation of a resilient, clean and inclusive energy future. This energy transition, away from fossil fuels, will enhance both domestic and regional energy security and independence in an increasingly geopolitically complex world.
History
Elestor was founded in 2014 by Wiebrand Kout, an experienced scientist. Kout was convinced that he could invent a technological solution to one of society’s greatest challenges, namely climate change.
The following year, he was joined by physics graduate and seasoned businessman Guido Dalessi. Dalessi was impressed with Kout’s vision for a new, clean energy system with robust electricity storage at its core.
In 2021, international MBA and corporate change and growth expert Hylke van Bennekom joined the team, with finance wizard Pieter Pijper arriving in 2023.
As the team grew, Kout’s invention was fine-tuned, investment from some of the most forward leaning forces behind the energy transition was secured, and Elestor earned the respect and trust of both policy makers and the general public.
Vision
Elestor believes a clean and sustainable energy system, one that is robust and self-reliant and thus delivers energy security and independence, will soon be at the very core of society. Large-scale, long-duration and affordable electricity storage will be a cornerstone of such an energy system, in the form of bi-directional power plants that will replace current plants powered by coal, gas or oil.
The power of renewables coupled with electricity storage extends well beyond their ability to supply affordable electricity to households, transport and industry. Tomorrow’s inclusive energy system will also provide clean air in cities, stabilise global temperatures. It will thus help reduce the damage caused by natural disasters, and deliver economic prosperity that will arise from the thousands of green jobs in the energy sector and in the many new industries it will support.
The energy transition will unify the interests of the planet, the people and business’ desire for profitability, and it will exemplify corporate and societal purpose, which presently means it will become an essential part of national and regional total defense systems in a world that faces increasingly turbulent geopolitical conditions.
Mission
Reducing electricity storage costs to the absolute minimum will aid the creation of a new, clean energy system.
Elestor will do this in partnership with other players in the renewable energy industry, with committed, long-term investors, and with policy makers at both local, national and international levels.
This energy system will be based on three pillars:
One, renewable energy generated by solar and wind.
Two, large-scale, low-cost and long-duration energy storage that is robust and resilient, and thus ensures electricity is available also when there is no sun and wind.
Three, sophisticated micro-grid, electricity grid and hydrogen pipeline infrastructure that helps distribute clean electricity to those who need it, whenever they need it.
Executive team
Hylke van Bennekom, Chief Executive Officer
Hylke van Bennekom was appointed Chief Executive Officer on 1 January 2025, after having joined Elestor in April 2021, to lead the operational transition towards large-scale production. He is also one of the investors (MBI).
With an educational background in Industrial Business and Administration, van Bennekom joined Tempress Systems in 2007. From various operational roles he had a key position in Tempress’ advancement from a niche player in the semiconductor market to innovative high volume manufacturing in solar and semiconductor applications. Over time he gained a broad international experience in strategic sourcing, establishing independent production locations in Europe as well as Asia, onboarding of M&A’s as well as an extensive experience in managing change processes within rapidly growing companies.
After earning his Master in International Business (MBA) in 2018, van Bennekom played a key role in the disaggregation and privatization of the divisions within in the Tempress Group, leading to the sales of all divisions as independent companies in 2020.
- Hylke van Bennekom, Chief Executive Officer
- +31 (0)6 239 11 572
- hylke.vanbennekom@elestor.com
Wiebrand Kout, Founder & Chief Technology Officer
Wiebrand Kout founded Elestor in 2014 to fill the need for large scale, ultra low cost electricity storage. Kout is responsible for the development of the company’s core technology, intellectual property, cost modelling and product planning.
Previously during his career, Kout has pioneered three hydrogen electrochemical systems: the PEM fuel cell, the electrochemical hydrogen compressor and the Elestor HBr flow battery. Prior to founding Elestor, he served as COO and lead designer at HyET, where he co-developed the first electrochemical hydrogen compressor capable of reaching 1,000 Bar in 2013. Today these noiseless hydrogen compressors are considered for use in hydrogen refueling stations by Shell Hydrogen.
Kout started his career in 1999 at NedStack Fuel Cell Technology, where he headed the mechanical design of Europe’s first series produced PEM fuel cell stack. This fuel cell, which is still in production today, is used in several Megawatt scale power plants around the world.
- Wiebrand Kout, Founder & Chief Technology Officer
- +31 (0)6 244 21 517
- wiebrand.kout@elestor.com
Pieter Pijper, Chief Financial Officer
Pieter Pijper joined Elestor in August 2023 , and is also one of the investors (MBI). Pieter Pijper, CFO
With an educational background in Business Economics, Pijper has enjoyed a successful career that spans more than 30 years in business. He has always been active in internationally operating organizations – amongst others Deltares (formely known as Delft Hydraulics), Oranjewoud/Antea Group and Strukton Group – companies with technical DNA at their core, resulting in cooperating with passionate experts and engineers. This mirrors the current situation at Elestor.
During his period as Group CFO of Oranjewoud N.V. (2010-2018) Pijper guided a buy and build strategy that resulted in a revenue increase from €300m to €2,300m and saw staff numbers rise from 3,000 to 10,500.
Aided by rigorous financial structures, Pijper will help ensure the rapid commercialisation of Elestor’s hydrogen bromine flow battery technology.
- Pieter Pijper, Chief Financial Officer
- +31(0)6 515 93 831
- pieter.pijper@elestor.com
Technical advisory board
Elestor has secured the participation of a prominent group of scientists and sector experts as members of its newly created technical advisory council.
As a cutting edge technology company, we invest significant resources in research and development, both in purely scientific fields as well as in more technical areas such as engineering. This secures our lead ahead of rivals in the clean energy storage sphere.
This leadership position has enabled us to attract top international scientists and engineers to the council, which is obviously going to be 100% independent to preserve the integrity of its members and of their conclusions.
The council presently numbers some 16-20 academics and industry players, which marks a notable expansion from our former technical advisory board, from which the council has evolved.
As such, the Technical advisory council is a demonstration of Elestor’s growing ambitions as well as of our evolution as a technically and organisationally more complex corporation.
Investors
Elestor has attracted a diverse range of investors, including prominent names in the energy sector that are at the forefront of the energy transition, climate-focused investment funds, and government bodies supportive of technological innovations that help steer society towards a sustainable future.
Equinor
Equinor Ventures invests in and supports innovative companies to shape the future of energy. Equinor Ventures is Equinor’s corporate venture arm dedicated to investing in ambitious early-phase and growth companies.
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Vopak Ventures
With the New Energies, Feedstocks & Sustainability fund, Vopak Ventures focuses on funding ventures facilitating new sustainable solutions in areas such as zero emission fuels, green feedstocks, recycling solutions and flow batteries.
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InnoEnergy
InnoEnergy is the European company dedicated to promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and education in the sustainable energy field by bringing together academics, businesses and research institutes. InnoEnergy is one of the investors in Elestor BV.
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Invest-NL
Invest-NL is an impact investor committed to businesses and projects that will make the Netherlands more sustainable and innovative. Its strategic focus lies on speeding up the transition towards a carbon neutral and circular economy.
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Koolen Industries
The mission of Koolen Industries is to enable everyone to contribute to and participate in the energy transition. Generating clean energy from wind and the sun, and developing solutions that store, transport and deliver this energy, we provide consumers with an autonomous life, independent of the grid.
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Somerset Capital Partners
Somerset Capital Partners is a family owned investment firm active in the fields of private equity, venture capital, public equity and real estate. Key domains include e-commerce, consumer, energy, mobility, life sciences, food, transportation and (logistics) real estate.
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Enfuro Ventures
Enfuro Ventures invests in companies which are active in the field of sustainable energy. Enfuro was founded in the summer of 2013 by Erik Schut and Ruud Rijbroek, two experienced entrepreneurs, who want to seriously contribute to the transition to sustainable energy. Enfuro is one of the investors in Elestor BV.
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Dalessi BV
Dalessi BV is the private investment vehicle, owned by Guido Dalessi, former CEO & Early investor Elestor BV.
Ecosystem
Elestor has established a robust ecosystem that is made up of a diverse set of strategic partners. These include commercial operators in the energy sector and beyond, a diverse range of investors, including prominent names in the energy sector that are at the forefront of the energy transition, climate-focused investment funds, and government bodies supportive of technological innovations that help steer society towards a sustainable future. This forms an arena where we cooperate and share insight with industry leaders, research institutions and organizations devoted to the energy transition.
Fraunhofer ICT
Coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology, and funded by the European Union’s Marie-Sklodowska-Curie programme, in the research network »FlowCamp« (MSCA-ITN-2017- 765289), 15 PhD students develop materials for next-generation redox-flow battery systems. Prototypes developed in the project will be tested using the cutting-edge facilities of the German-funded (19 million €) RedoxWind campus at Fraunhofer ICT.
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Ørsted
The Ørsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy. Ørsted develops, constructs, and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, renewable hydrogen and green fuels facilities, and bioenergy plants. Moreover, Ørsted provides energy products to its customers. Ørsted is the only energy company in the world with a science-based net-zero emissions target as validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and Ørsted aims to deliver a net-positive biodiversity impact from all new renewable energy projects it commissions from 2030 at the latest.
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Royal Vopak
Royal Vopak is the world’s leading independent tank storage company. We store vital products with care. With over 400 years of history and a focus on sustainability, we ensure safe, clean and efficient storage and handling of bulk liquid products and gases for our customers. By doing so, we enable the delivery of products that are vital to our economy and daily lives, ranging from chemicals, oils, gases and LNG to biofuels and vegoils. We are determined to develop key infrastructure solutions for the world’s changing energy and feedstock systems, while simultaneously investing in digitalization and innovation. Vopak is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam and is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
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TU Delft
The Technical University of Delft is the oldest, largest and most comprehensive university of technology in the Netherlands. On a structural basis, TU Delft collaborates with other international research institutes and has partnerships with governments, industry partners and companies from the small and medium business sectors. TU Delft ranks 52nd on the 2019 QS World University Rankings overall, and ranks 13th worldwide among the field of Chemical Engineering. The research groups of David Vermaas and Willem Haverkort at TU Delft collaborate with Elestor in the MELODY project, for developing membrane-free H2-Br2 redox flow batteries.
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Technion
Founded in 1912, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology is Israel’s first university. Today, Technion is acclaimed as the source of ingenuity behind Israel’s status as the world’s “Start-Up Nation”. Technion innovation has a high global impact in areas including life-saving medicine, sustainable energy, water conservation, computer science, and nanotechnology. Technion, with 18 faculties and more than 50 research centers, offers degrees in science and engineering, architecture, medicine and education.
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University of Exeter
The University of Exeter has a substantial and diverse set of active energy researchers, primarily working in the area of increasing sustainability of energy generation and consumption. Recent work includes energy efficiency, renewable electricity, heat and transport. Research areas include policy & regulation, behaviour of energy consumers, ecological impacts of energy usage, engineering around new solutions in multiple technology areas. technologies covered include PV, concentrated PV, solar thermal, wave energy, tidal energy, floating and fixed offshore wind energy, biomass as well as smart grid and system flexibility.
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ETH Zürich
Freedom and individual responsibility, entrepreneurial spirit and open-mindedness: ETH Zurich stands on a bedrock of true Swiss values. Our university for science and technology dates back to the year 1855, when the founders of modern-day Switzerland created it as a centre of innovation and knowledge. At ETH Zurich, students discover an ideal environment for independent thinking, researchers a climate which inspires top performance. Situated in the heart of Europe, yet forging connections all over the world, ETH Zurich is pioneering effective solutions to the global challenges of today and tomorrow.
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Energy Storage NL
‘Energy Storage NL’ interconnects enterprises, knowledge institutes, government and financial institutes, in order to support creation of sustainable business cases for energy storage, which contribute to a successful transition to a clean, reliable and affordable energy supply.
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Rijksdienst Ondernemend NL
The ‘Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO.nl)’ stimulates the Netherlands with sustainable, agricultural, innovative and international enterprising, by means of subsidies, identification of business partners, knowledge and to comply with laws and legal instructions.
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International Flow Battery Forum
The purpose of the IFBF is to raise the profile of flow batteries as a crucial technology within the electrical energy storage sector.
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TFP Hydrogen
We are TFP Hydrogen Products, specialists in the manufacturing and development of electrochemical materials. We produce a wide selection of materials for hydrogen technologies including water electrolysis materials and catalysts, coated electrodes and GDL substrate for fuel cells. Our company is built on our knowledge and expertise in electrochemistry and nano materials, and we pride ourselves on translating this into effective solutions for our customers. We are continually extending our development, production and analytical facilities to further improve our capabilities, enabling effective material design and smooth scale up from concept to production.
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Energystorage ICL
From raw materials to cutting edge research, ICL is dedicated to developing advanced bromine based technologies that are set to become the new force in the field of energy storage.
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Verbund
VERBUND as a shaper of the future of energy. Ever since its founding as Österreichische Elektrizitätswirtschafts-AG in 1947, VERBUND has been co-shaping the future of energy: Even back then we set our sights on hydropower and, hence, renewable energy sources. Today, after more than seventy years, VERBUND is Austria’s largest and climate-friendliest electricity producer. Close to 100% of our electricity is generated from hydropower, supplemented by wind and thermal power.
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Gelderland Valoriseert
The mission of ‘Gelderland Valoriseert’ is to support and strengthen the innovative abilities in the region. This goal is achieved by offering a variety of facilities to entrepreneurs, students, researchers and others who have innovative ideas.
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Quinteq
Energy storage is the Holy Grail in the growth of renewable energy and the transition towards a clean, sustainable and reliable energy system. The world’s most advanced flywheel energy storage solution, developed by the Boeing Company in the US, brought to you by QuinteQ Energy B.V., Made in Holland. QuinteQ solves lifetime, reliability and energy density challenges that are not solved by competitors and provides up to 15 times lower storage costs than alternatives.
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Groene Groeiers
Wij zijn ondernemers in Nederland die op een groene manier willen groeien. We willen niet alleen natuur en milieu zoveel mogelijk ontlasten bij onze economische activiteiten. Als het even kan, willen we met ons product of onze dienst ook bijdragen aan een betere en leefbare wereld.
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