The ever-expanding software platform underpinning Octopus Energy, Britain’s biggest power retailer, is launching what it calls Britain’s first superhub for digital energy technology. Manchester will be its home.
Kraken has been Octopus’ billing, trading and operations fulfilment “brains” since 2016. It is now licenced to perform similar functions for a total of 54 million accounts of leading power retailers such as E.ON in the UK, and as far afield as Australia’s Origin Energy & Japan’s Tokyo Gas.
Kraken’s new EnTech superhub will empower partners to boost their products’ usability and expand their reach to more customers, homes and businesses by integrating with Kraken.
The powerhouse will be a melting pot of global leaders in clean tech, bringing together some of the world’s biggest names in e-mobility, EV charging, heat pump and home batteries.
Kraken has already secured over a dozen partners for the launch, including automotive leaders BYD of China and Ford, battery pioneers Tesla, solar technologists Enphase Energy, SolarEdge & GivEnergy, EV charge point players Indra Renewable Technologies, Hypervolt, Ohme and Myenergi, as well as heat pump providers Mitsubishi Electric and Daikin.
By integrating with Kraken, clean tech devices such as EVs and heat pumps can draw power from the grid when it is cheapest and greenest and export back when prices are higher – creating a smarter, more efficient system that slashes bills for consumers.
Paris and Pariser
The new Kraken connectivity centre is located in the historic copper-clad Pariser Building in central Manchester, and takes design inspiration from the famous Hacienda nightclub. The block, which as part of UMIST housed both the Joule Centre & the Dalton Institute, will serve as an additional home to over 200 Kraken employees based in the city.
Devrim Celal, CEO of Kraken Technologies, said: “Our new EnTech superhub is a game-changer for the UK’s renewable ambitions, and will speed up the country’s transformation into a clean energy superpower.
“Manchester is on track to becoming the ‘Silicon Valley for Energy Tech’. With this facility, we’re not just laying the groundwork for a greener, smarter energy system – we’re creating a more sustainable and affordable future for all.”
Octopus Energy first arrived in Manchester in 2020 with the acquisition of Upside Energy, now the flexibility arm of Kraken. The company’s main office is located in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, where it employs nearly 600 people across technology, flexibility and customer operations roles.
