Lightsource BP’s in-house energy technology business Lightsource Labs is partnering with renewable energy supplier Pure Planet to develop solar and battery storage solutions for UK homes.
The partnership will utilise Lightsource Labs’ home energy management technology – Tribe – and cloud-based Virtual Power Plant (VPP) platform to unlock and monetise energy flexibility from solar and battery storage systems.
Tribe is designed to be the centre of the connected home and consists of a hardware hub and smartphone app through which users can monitor, control and schedule devices to reduce energy costs by up to 20%.
It enables customers to coordinate all assets from a single app.
Pure Planet will use the VPP to reduce energy supply costs and support the electricity grid by optimising the charge and discharge cycles of the battery storage systems.
The partnership will also explore how the VPP can be used to unlock new revenue streams from grid and network operators.
Tribe, which can integrate all assets within the home, will utilise machine-learning technology to automatically optimise asset schedules in response to signals from Pure Planet, the partners said.
Members will be able to use Tribe to maximise self-consumption of solar energy and, by choosing to be part of the Pure Planet VPP, be eligible for a discount on the upfront cost of solar and battery storage.
The partnership is designed to improve access to renewable technologies and help Pure Planet members further reduce their carbon footprint and energy bills.
The businesses, both backed by BP, intend to run an initial trial of the technology this summer before scaling the offering from 2022, targeting 1MW of flexible capacity deployed in members’ homes over the next 24 months.
Lightsource Labs chief executive Ben Kott said: “On our journey to net zero, as we integrate more renewables and roll-out electric cars and heating onto the system, the need for energy flexibility and smart energy management is increasing.
“We are excited to partner with Pure Planet and their forward-thinking members to help accelerate the adoption of renewable technologies including solar PV and electric cars, and using our technology to unlock more value from distributed energy assets for all parties.”
Pure Planet Co-Founder and chief executive Andrew Ralston said: “Future energy services will play a key part in getting UK homes to net zero. Partnering with Lightsource Labs allows us to use their next generation technology to deploy solar and battery storage into the homes of our Members at a lower cost, helping them to further reduce their carbon footprint and energy bills.
“Pure Planet has already saved its members more than one and a half million tonnes of CO2 since its launch.
“This new service and others we are pioneering will supercharge the speed at which we reach our next million by helping people manage their energy better by giving them all the information they need to reduce their emissions.”