AGL teams up with Ovo to digitise energy management in Australian households

Last week, AGL announced that it is forging ahead with plans to establish a 200 MW grid-scale battery at its Loy Yang power station in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley. Then the company announced that construction on its 250 MW one-hour-duration battery at the site of its Torrens Island power station in South Australia is now underway. This week, AGL has kept its foot on the proverbial gas (soon to be only proverbial) by entering a joint venture with the United Kingdom’s (UK) zero carbon brand, Ovo. 

The partnership will see AGL receive exclusive Australian access to Ovo’s vaunted customer experience platform, Kaluza. Kaluza is an AI-enabled platform that not only provides customers with an intuitive energy account, but gives retailers the ability to transform their operations. As an energy management system that can also run the charging of electric vehicles (EVs), energy storage systems, and other home and IOT devices, this partnership has the potential to save both AGL and AGL customers a good deal of cash while also helping the transition away from fossil fuels. 

Along with the spate of recent announcements from AGL, not merely its hustle on the large-scale energy storage front, but also the company’s recent acquisitions of Epho and Solgen Energy Group – making it the largest commercial solar provider in Australia – clearly the old firm is dragging itself into the 21st Century, and the digitisation of its services is a concerted part of that effort. 

Thanks to Australia’s world-leading rooftop solar penetration, and as evidenced by the recently revealed plans of the AEMC regarding a solar export tax, the ability to manage our energy at the level of the individual home is becoming ever more important. AGL says Kaluza’s advanced software is primed to help towards solving these grid challenges by intelligently shifting device charging to times of lower demand. 

BloombergNEF predicts solar installations in Australia will only continue to increase, offsetting rising demand from air conditioning and EVs. 

“While the shift to renewables is driving decarbonisation of the power sector, the hard work of tackling carbon emissions in the rest of the economy, in particular the residential sector, is just beginning” said Stephen Fitzpatrick, CEO and founder of Ovo. “Ultimately, success will come down to turning consumers into willing, active participants in the energy transition. Companies must now focus on building trust with their customers, harnessing technology that makes zero carbon living simple and affordable for everyone. The Kaluza platform uses real-time data to create a uniquely personalised digital experience, making it easy for the customer to engage with energy and their own carbon footprint.” 

AGL’s managing director and CEO, Brett Redman, added that Kaluza represented the addition of world-class technology and innovation to Australia.