Kraken Technologies is an operating system, harnessing big data across the power value chain, from asset optimization, to grid balancing, to utility customer services. We reviewed ten patents, which all harness big data, of which 65% optimize aspects of the grid, and 40% are using AI. This all supports electrification, renewables and EVs.
Octopus Energy is a private UK utility, founded in 2015, with 3,000 employees, serving 8M customers, offering the UK’s largest “smart-tariff” where prices are adjusted according to time-of-use.
Kraken Technologies is an operating system, developed by Octopus, harnessing big data from increasingly digital power networks and smart meters, in order to enable utility solutions, from asset optimization to improved customer services (details in the data-file).
This Kraken technology review explored ten patent families in Espacenet, and how they are being used to enable Virtual Power Plants, Grid Balancing, Frequency Support, Reactive Power Compensation, Fault Localization, Grid Monitoring, Customer Support and Energy Savings. It is a long and impressive list, which shows the potential of smart grids.
For example, electric vehicles, heat pumps and residential solar arrays collectively represent large loads, but are all individually too small to participate in balancing markets. One of the Kraken patents receives data from smart meters, filters noise, prioritizes data that matter, calculates flexible load within 5 seconds, then relays back balancing instructions to individual devices.
Effectively all of the patents that we reviewed focused on what can be achieved by aggregating more big data within power grids, 65% looked at optimizing various aspects across the utility value chain using the data, and 40% are using AI.
Our observations on the patent library are also discussed in the data-file, while we have summarized six of the patents in particular detail. We have argued that greater digitization of historically dumb power networks will unlock an additional c10% integration of wind and solar, beyond the natural limits suggested by their volatility.