About this episode

This episode discusses how smart technology is transforming grid infrastructure and enabling consumer devices to act as virtual power plants.

Smart technology is rapidly redefining the debate over grid infrastructure. Rather than spending millions on new transformers, transmission lines and generation capacity, a growing consensus suggests the answer lies in using existing resources more intelligently. In this episode, host Eklavya Gupte speaks with Devrim Celal , Chief Flexibility and Marketing Officer at Kraken Technologies, about how consumer devices are being transformed into virtual power plants managing gigawatts in real time. Celal explains how Kraken coordinates nearly 8 gigawatts across half a million devices, from utility-scale batteries to home EV chargers, turning flexibility into the new currency of power markets. He discusses why the shift from thermal to renewable generation has created unprecedented volatility, and how time-of-use tariffs and smart optimization are unlocking consumer participation at scale. The conversation also examines why batteries have become the fastest-growing energy technology globally, and how the dual pressures of electrification and data center growth are forcing a fundamental reimagining of the grid.

People in this episode

Host: Eklavya Gupte

Guest: Devrim Celal

Topics covered

• grid infrastructure
• smart technology
• virtual power plants
• renewable energy
• consumer participation
• energy market volatility

Keywords

• grid bottleneck
• smart optimization
• time-of-use tariffs
• batteries
• electrification
• data center growth

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Kraken Technologies

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