Kraken lands its first deal with a North American utility for its demand flexibility and customer platform

Kraken, a utility software-as-a-service provider, has announced a multi-year deal with Canadian municipal utility Saint John Energy (SJE) to license Kraken’s demand flexibility solution and end-to-end customer service platform – marking Kraken’s first integrated partner in the North American energy market.

SJE will adopt Kraken’s end-to-end utility operating system, which Kraken says will enable it to create new green energy-focused service and flexibly manage its distribution network.

Kraken, which is part of Octopus Energy Group, will onboard all of SJE’s residential and business customers onto its all-in-one customer service, billing, optimisation, and asset management platform.

More than 75% of Saint John Energy customers have electric heating, more than 70% of customers rent water heaters, and more than 20% of residents rent heat pumps. In 2019, SJE became the first utility to deploy a Tesla Megapack to store power, cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and reduce grid strain.

Have you read?
Octopus Energy extends reach into South America with Energisa partnership
Urban grids are ‘feeling the heat’, IEA reports

“Around the globe, Kraken partners with some of the most trusted energy brands to decentralise, decarbonise, and above all, modernise the grid,” Greg Jackson, Founder of Octopus Energy Group, said. “Saint John Energy’s track record as an innovative early adopter makes this partnership a natural fit for us as we look to drive the energy transition worldwide. As our first utility and distribution partner in North America, we are excited to support Saint John Energy in bringing more affordable, reliable solutions to its customers in Canada.”

This deal follows Kraken’s recent pilot partnership to reduce grid constraints in Connecticut, its successful U.S. launch of SmartFlex, and a licensing agreement with a Texas-based energy asset manager, Tenaska.

Kraken currently manages 54 million utility customers across the globe and around 155,000 domestic devices —totaling over 38 GW of contracted power.

​“We’re proud and excited to partner with Kraken, which not only has a transformative platform but an international reputation for best-in-class solutions tailored to the energy industry,” said Ryan Mitchell, President and CEO of Saint John Energy. “Implementing its solutions will give our customers more information and control over their energy needs, and will allow Saint John Energy to pursue more innovative solutions in clean energy and the transition to net zero.”

Originally published by Sean Wolfe on power-grid.com