Johannes Päffgen, former Head of Energy Trading and Member of the Management Board at Next Kraftwerke, was responsible for the overall trading strategies and market analysis. He joined the company in 2011 as an energy trader, and has ever since been instrumental in the development of the trading department, helping to turn Next Kraftwerke into one of the largest Virtual Power Plants in Europe. He is specialized in short-term markets such as intraday markets and ancillary service markets. Power has always been more than a switch on or off to Johannes Päffgen. Growing up, he rode to school with Germany’s biggest lignite power stations shaping the skyline. Over the years more and more wind turbines joined – as did in his professional life when he joined Next Kraftwerke and helped to turn it into one of the largest Virtual Power Plants in Europe.