In this episode, Adam is joined by Global Director of Markets at Kraken, Charlotte Johnson. They delve into Kraken’s rapid growth from a software-first platform to a global leader in energy tech, licensing its solutions to utilities globally. Charlotte sheds light on the unique challenges of scaling intermittent renewables, improving grid infrastructure, and managing the complexities of residential and grid-scale assets. Together, they explore the evolving role of demand-side flexibility in accelerating the energy transition.
Charlotte shares insights into Kraken’s push for industry-wide data standardisation and its use of AI to transform customer interactions, optimise fleets and streamline onboarding processes.
The discussion expands on Kraken’s mission to use technology to make the energy transition faster and cheaper, with a focus on integrating consumer devices like EVs, heat pumps and home batteries into managed programs. Charlotte reveals how Kraken’s innovative culture, supported by initiatives like “family dinner” sessions and embedded data science teams, enables the company to adapt quickly to the evolving energy technology landscape. For the tech enthusiasts, the episode dives into Kraken’s use of tools like its “Snap” model for asset optimisation and its approach to mixed-integer linear programming.
Adam and Charlotte explore:
- The role of demand-side flexibility
- Kraken’s mission, growth and new innovations
- Complexities of managing grid-scale and residential assets, and the push for industrywide standardisation
- Kraken’s approach to embedding AI across its operations and the broader challenges and opportunities in energy tech.
Chapter markers
[00:17] Meet Charlotte Johnson from Kraken
[00:30] Understanding the role of Global Director of Markets
[00:45] Monetising distributed energy resources
[02:12] Career path and skills for the energy sector
[04:29] Kraken and Octopus energy relationship
[08:31] Data challenges in energy flexibility
[17:19] The role of demand side in energy transition
[25:38] Tech culture and AI at Kraken
[32:27] Closing remarks and future prospects
Useful Links
Charlotte on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-johnson-358790b3/
Kraken's website: https://kraken.tech/
