EP. 290 AI, Flexibility and the Rise of the Autonomous Grid

This week on the Energy Unplugged podcast, Richard Howard is joined by Devrim Celal, Chief Marketing & Flexibility Officer, Kraken to explore how flexibility, AI and distributed energy resources are reshaping the future of electricity systems.

Devrim oversees flexibility and product capabilities at Kraken, the cloud-based platform that optimizes and orchestrates distributed energy resources including EVs, batteries, heat pumps and renewable generation assets. Prior to Kraken, Devrim was CEO of Upside Energy, which was acquired by the company in 2020.

Recorded against the backdrop of rapidly accelerating electrification and growing grid constraints, the conversation explores how electricity systems are evolving from centrally managed networks into highly dynamic, data-driven platforms powered by millions of connected devices. Richard and Devrim discuss the growing importance of flexibility markets, low-voltage network visibility, interoperability standards and real-time optimization in enabling higher penetration of renewable energy while avoiding costly infrastructure upgrades.

The episode also examines the role of AI and automation in future grid operations, the balance between market-based incentives and regulatory intervention, and how increasingly granular data and intelligent orchestration could unlock significantly greater utilisation of existing network infrastructure. The discussion spans everything from virtual power plants and dynamic pricing to locational signals, consumer flexibility and the future role of autonomous “agentic” systems in electricity markets.

You will learn:

• Why distributed flexibility is becoming critical for renewable-heavy electricity systems.

• How AI and device-level data could transform the operation of electricity networks.

• Why low-voltage grid visibility is emerging as one of the industry’s biggest challenges.

• How virtual power plants and intelligent automation are reshaping grid operations.