UK utility Octopus Energy’s Kraken Technologies subsidiary and Belgian energy innovator Elia Group signed a deal at COP26 to help Belgium and Germany transition to a smart green grid.

The partnership will allow energy system operators to use Octopus Energy’s flexibility platform, Kraken Flex, and Elia Group’s energy data affiliate, Re.Alto, to use green technologies such as electric vehicles (EVs) and heat pumps to balance the grid and support the shift to a renewable energy system.

Users will have the freedom to use their appliances and adjust their consumption patterns to benefit from cheaper renewable energy on the grid when it is abundant, while grid operators will be able to balance supply and demand without disruption to end consumers.

Changing consumer’s energy use around peak times is essential to the future of the grid system. By managing demand flexibly through smart technologies such as electric cars, heat pumps and home batteries, grid operators can better balance the supply of renewable energy.

Those who take part will also benefit from real-time energy data from Kraken Flex and Re.Alto’s API, allowing them to optimise the use of their electric household appliances in line with grid supply and demand. The central management of these data will be provided by Kraken Flex and Re.Alto.

“We’re delighted to announce this partnership with Elia Group at COP26, which has proven itself as a unique opportunity for business leaders around the world to come together to work towards a renewable future,” said Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy. “This partnership is unlocking world leading entech innovation, enabling millions of customers to use abundant, cheap green energy to power their appliances and drive down their energy bills, all while helping balance the grid during intermittent energy production. It’s a win-win for everybody.”

Chris Peeters, CEO of Elia Group, added: “Elia Group and Octopus Energy are aligned in terms of our strong interest in customer-orientation and have complementary knowledge and experience, making this collaboration an extremely interesting one. We both want the electricity system to adapt to the new reality of micro-flexibility offered by end consumers, which can only be achieved through provisions that meet new consumer needs associated with electric vehicles and heat pumps. We will learn a lot from each other, applying our joint expertise to place consumers at the centre of the clean energy transition.”

Kraken Flex, previously Upside Energy, was founded in 2014 and acquired by Octopus Energy in 2020. Part of the Kraken technology platform, Kraken Flex connects with a host of clean energy technologies, allowing it to manage those devices to match real-time energy demand and supply. This helps balance the grid and enables users to capitalise on cheaper, greener power.

Re.Alto was founded in 2019 by Elia Group. It is the first European digital marketplace for energy data and services that enables the exchange of energy data through an API platform, said to be the first of its kind in the energy industry.

Octopus Energy also recently announced a major investment from Generation Investment Management, a company chaired and co-founded by Al Gore, to expand its mission and the Kraken platform globally, in a deal that valued the UK entech pioneer at $4.6bn.