Energy tech firm Kaluza and battery storage manufacturer sonnen have penned a new partnership to introduce new flexibility onto the UK’s grid. Kaluza, the tech division of energy group OVO, will integrate its smart energy platform with sonnen’s own virtual power plant technology, enabling the latter to import and export energy when required for grid flexibility purposes. Sonnen’s VPP platform has already seen success in the UK and is currently playing a pivotal role in Centrica’s Local Energy Market project in Cornwall. A total of 100 sonnenBatterie systems have been installed in homes and businesses, systems which are digitally linked. Kaluza’s own technology has also been in development for some time. In February 2017 OVO made its maiden acquisition in purchasing smart grid technology developer VCharge, whose platform OVO has continued to develop. At the time, the company said the deal underlined its intent to develop solutions which could “harness the disruptive power of technology” to solve problems facing the sector, before unveiling an entire suite of energy technology products in April the following year. Kaluza said the partnership with sonnen is the first in a series of upcoming collaborations with leading hardware manufacturers and service providers, something which it added signalled a “significant step forward for the energy industry”. Stephen Fitzpatrick, CEO and founder at OVO Group, said: “We will only achieve the shift to electricity through collaboration. The aim is to give customers the greatest possible choice, and the control to adopt an electric system. “Batteries such as sonnen’s are critical to our energy security as they support a resilient, independent energy system as well as providing back up supply. Sonnen has created a world-class energy storage technology and we look forward to working together to deliver an intelligent, zero carbon grid.” Sonnen has also been busy, and in January became the latest energy company to be snapped up by Shell New Energies as part of its bid to seize the lead in emerging technologies and business models. Sonnen batteries will be offered to Shell’s one million energy supply customers in the UK, Shell Energy CEO Colin Crooks confirmed in March, and sonnen is also playing a role in battery storage developer Anesco’s launch of a residential storage offering for the UK market. Commenting on today’s news, sonnen chief Christoph Ostermann said the integration with Kaluza’s platform would provide a large volume of flexibility to its customers and the grid, and “automatically reduces energy costs and carbon emissions” in a “win-win situation for everybody”.
Kaluza, the intelligent technology division of VPP, has partnered with the Shell-owned battery company sonnen to provide greater flexibility for UK grid and energy customers. Kaluza will integrate its smart energy platform with sonnen's virtual power plant (Ovo Group) technology, in what the former said was the first of a string of forthcoming collaborations with hardware manufacturers and service providers. The partnership will enable sonnen to import and export energy from the grid as required. Sonnen installed 100 of its batteries as part of Centrica’s Cornwall-based local energy market project.