Senior Product Designer

California VPP bills await Governor Newsom signature, Octopus Energy closes investment in DERs flex platform Uplight. September 1, 2026 Two VPP bills are awaiting California Governor Gavin Newsom's signature, while Octopus Energy US has completed its investment in behind-the-meter (BTM) flexibility platform provider Uplight. Two VPP bills pass California's legislature. Two virtual power plant (VPP) bills have passed California's legislature and now awaiting Governor Gavin Newsom's signature. Senate Bill 905 (SB 905) and SB 913, both authored by State Senator Josh Becker, cleared their final legislative hurdles and are expected to receive gubernatorial approval despite Newsom vetoing three VPP-related measures last year. The bills aim to unlock value from California's rapidly expanding fleet of customer-owned battery energy storage systems (BESS), solar installations, electric vehicles (EVs) and other flexible energy assets by enabling these resources to participate more fully in wholesale energy markets. SB 913 would mandate the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to establish a valuation methodology for customer-sited BESS to export power onto the grid during periods of system stress. The legislation builds upon a recent California Independent System Operator (CAISO) staff proposal that permits exports from behind-the-meter batteries to participate in the statewide energy market. This framework would enable aggregated fleets of customer batteries to qualify for resource adequacy (RA) contracts based on the full volume of stored energy they can dispatch on demand. Under current market rules, fleets of customer devices can only participate in the RA market to the extent those assets reduce consumption at individual customer sites. If any customer within an aggregated fleet exports energy back to the grid, that exported power receives zero valuation - a structure that significantly constrains the volume of energy fleet operators can offer to the wholesale market. The proposed change would allow fleet operators to bid the total energy capacity they can reliably deliver from managed devices, rather than relying on estimates of individual customer consumption patterns. By design, these resources would only be selected when available at lower cost than competing generation sources, creating downward pressure on wholesale prices. SB 905 would establish a grid utilisation metric measuring the load factor across each segment of California's distribution network. The metric would identify which circuits and substations can accommodate substantially higher energy throughput without expensive infrastructure upgrades by redistributing demand away from peak periods. Analysis shows many distribution circuits operate well below capacity for most hours, reaching full utilisation for only a limited number of peak demand periods annually. Expanding grid equipment to serve these brief peaks represents an inefficient use of ratepayer funds, according to industry advocates. Once the grid utilisation metric is implemented, the CPUC would gain a straightforward mechanism to mandate annual improvements in utilisation rates. Utilities would respond by developing load flexibility programmes that incentivise customers to shift electricity consumption to off-peak hours. Beyond requiring net reductions in total utility costs, SB 905 does not prescribe specific programme designs. The legislative action comes as California confronts what the California Solar & Storage Association (CALSSA) characterises as an energy affordability crisis, with electricity rates climbing sharply even as demand continues to grow. Brad Heavner, executive director of CALSSA, stated, "California now has hundreds of thousands of solar-charged batteries installed on garages, campuses and farms throughout the state, with 2,000 more added every week. These and other customer devices could play a key role in mitigating energy prices if California's energy market rules allow them to do so." Octopus Energy US closes investment in Uplight. In other VPP news, retail electricity provider Octopus Energy has closed its investment in US energy software company Uplight. Announced 1 September, Uplight stated it will continue to operate as an independent company, using the investment to build on its focus in "customer-centric flexibility management." The company further stated that the investment supports its next phase of growth, including US$1 billion in customer savings and more than doubling flexible capacity to 20GW over the next five years. Nick Chaset, CEO of Octopus Energy US, will also hold the role of CEO as Uplight. The two companies will introduce two of Octopus Energy's products into Uplight's solution suite. Customer engagement application Octopus Shift provides a unified platform where consumers can register for and take part in utility flexibility schemes. The application streamlines the enrollment process and maintains ongoing customer participation through rewards, converting that engagement into grid capacity for utilities. Octopus PowerStore delivers residential BESS through a turnkey model requiring no upfront customer investment, eliminating a major obstacle to home BESS adoption. This approach provides utilities with dispatchable storage capacity for peak demand management whilst extending storage access to a wider customer base than pricing barriers would typically permit. Octopus Energy contributes substantial operational scale to the collaboration. The company manages the world's largest VPP, noting a 2GW milestone in September 2025, and supplies its technology and customer engagement solutions to across 27 countries. Schneider Electric, already an investor in Uplight, maintains its support alongside Octopus Energy's newly acquired majority position, backing the company's expansion through Schneider Electric's portfolio of grid, software, automation and energy management solutions. The partnership will help drive forward grid flexibility and demand-side management capabilities, enabling utilities to convert distributed energy resources into scalable, dependable and cost-efficient capacity that advances grid modernisation and the energy transition. Uplight started through the 2019 merger of a group of separate start-up companies including Simple Energy and Tendril. In 2021, Uplight reached a valuation of US$1.5 billion following investment from groups including Schneider Electric. In March 2025, Uplight announced it would partner with utility San José Clean Energy to expand the California utility's demand response programme. San José Clean Energy claimed it would be able to enroll a total of 25MW of dispatchable energy by 2028 and 5MW by the end of that summer. Hannah Bascom, general manager of Uplight stated of the investment from Octopus, "This is a new chapter for Uplight as we build on our critical capacity services for our utility customers." Battery Asset Management Summit USA 2026 will be held 15-16 September in Garden Grove, California, hosted by Energy-Storage.news publisher Solar Media (part of the Informa Group). The agenda emphasises addressing the roles of AI, cybersecurity, and second-life applications, broken down into two tracks: Technical Asset Management and Commercial Asset Management. This year, the conference is also co-located with Solar & Storage Finance Summit USA. Visit the official site for more details. 8 September 2026 Barcelona, Spain Battery & Energy Storage Tech Europe (BESTE) is Europe's industrial scaling platform for stationary and industrial battery applications - not EVs. Taking place 8-9 September 2026 at Fira de Barcelona, BESTE brings together utilities, IPPs, energy-intensive industries, data centres, ports, rail, maritime, defence and aerospace OEMs - all deploying or integrating battery storage at scale. Over 100 companies already confirmed - including EDP Renewables, Acciona, Endesa, Naturgy, Neoen, Galp, Basquevolt and Veolia - alongside 40+ expert speakers and international institutional support from BEPA, BVES, LDES and Volta Foundation. Where Europe's battery & ES ecosystem turns projects into reality. 15 September 2026 San Diego, USA You can expect to meet and network with all the key industry players again in 2025 from major US asset owners, operators, RTOs and ISOs, optimizers, software and analytics providers, technical consultancies, O&M technology providers and more. 15 September 2026 Berlin, Germany Launching September 2026 in Berlin, Energy Storage Summit Germany is a new standalone event dedicated to Germany's energy storage market. Bringing together investors, developers, policymakers, TSOs, manufacturers and optimisation specialists, the Summit explores the regulatory shifts, revenue models, financing strategies and technology innovations shaping large-scale deployment. With Germany targeting 80% renewables by 2030, it offers a focused platform to connect with the decision-makers driving the Energiewende and the future of utility-scale storage. 13 October 2026 London, UK Now in its second edition, the Summit provides a dedicated platform for UK & Ireland's BESS community to share practical insights on performance, degradation, safety, market design and optimisation strategies. As storage deployment accelerates towards 2030 targets, attendees gain the tools needed to enhance returns and operate resilient, efficient assets.

Octopus Energy completes investment in Uplight, accelerating plans to save US customers $1 billion and double grid flexibility. Nick Chaset named CEO of Uplight to accelerate Demand Stack strategy, transforming disconnected demand-side initiatives into predictable, affordable, utility-scale capacity. September 01, 2026 09:00 ET | Source: Uplight HOUSTON and BOULDER, Colo., Sept. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Uplight and Octopus Energy Group today announced Octopus Energy has closed its investment in Uplight. Uplight will continue to operate as an independent company, leveraging the strategic investment to build on its leadership in customer-centric flexibility management. The investment supports Uplight's next phase of growth, including targets of $1 billion in customer savings and more than doubling flexible capacity to 20 GW over the next five years. Nick Chaset has been named Chief Executive Officer of Uplight, a role he will hold alongside his position as CEO of Octopus Energy US. As CEO of Octopus Energy US, Chaset leads both retail electricity and flexibility services, giving him direct operating experience in the same customer participation and grid flexibility models Uplight partners with utilities to scale. His leadership will support Uplight's next phase of growth as the company expands the reach, reliability, and operational value of demand-side programs. "Uplight has delivered what the market needs: measurable flexible load capacity resources targeted to grid priority locations," said Nick Chaset, CEO of Octopus Energy US and Uplight. "Octopus Energy's investment will accelerate Uplight's growth and impact to 20 GW and $1 billion of customer savings by extending and expanding the platform utilities need to meet rapidly rising demand." Uplight and Octopus Energy will also introduce two of Octopus Energy's global products into the Uplight solution suite: Octopus Shift, a customer engagement app making its US debut, gives customers a single place to sign up and participate in their utility's flexibility programs. The app makes enrollment simple and keeps customers engaged over time, rewarding them for participating and turning that engagement into grid capacity utilities can count on. Octopus PowerStore deploys residential battery storage on a turnkey basis with no upfront cost to customers, removing one of the biggest barriers to home battery adoption. This gives utilities dispatchable storage they can rely on to manage peak demand, while making storage accessible to a broader range of customers than cost alone would otherwise allow. Octopus Energy brings its own scale to the partnership. The company operates the world's largest virtual power plant and delivers its technology and customer engagement products to 11 million households across 27 countries. Schneider Electric, an existing investor in Uplight, continues its backing alongside Octopus Energy's new majority stake, supporting the company's next phase of growth through Schneider Electric's global reach and leading grid, software, automation, and energy management portfolio. Together, the companies will accelerate grid flexibility and demand-side management, enabling utilities to transform distributed energy resources into scalable, reliable, and cost-effective capacity that supports grid modernization and the energy transition. Today, Uplight manages 8.5 gigawatts (GW) of flexible load across more than 85 utilities and over 75 ecosystem partners, including eight of the ten largest utilities in the country. In 2026, Uplight reached over 1 million customer devices enrolled across its multi-DER demand response and virtual power plant programs and, in the 2025 season, tripled the flexible capacity created through these programs. Since 2020, Uplight-powered utility programs have returned $586 million in value to North American energy customers through efficiency savings, rebates, and incentives. This investment builds directly on that trajectory, strengthening and accelerating the company's Demand Stack(R) solution, a customizable framework for utilities to unlock the potential of demand-side resources. Demand Stack(R) delivers near-term grid capacity via existing assets and creates planning-grade reliability as grid constraints and rate pressures intensify. "This is a new chapter for Uplight as we build on our critical capacity services for our utility customers," said Hannah Bascom, General Manager of Uplight. "We can invest more deeply into our foundation and extend and expand our utility Demand Stack(R) solutions - bringing Octopus Shift and Octopus PowerStore into our ecosystem means more tools, sooner, for the utilities, energy customers, and communities we already serve." Media Contacts: V2 Communications for Uplight [email protected] About Octopus Energy Group Octopus Energy is a global clean energy and technology business, driving the affordable, green energy system of the future. Under its own retail brand, Octopus delivers world-class customer service and cutting-edge energy products to 11 million households globally. The company is driving the electrification of heat and transport through smart tariffs and innovative clean tech, with operations spanning 27 countries and the entire energy value chain. It operates a £7 billion renewables portfolio as well as thriving EV leasing, heat pump, and solar businesses. Backed by pension funds, investors and energy giants, Octopus Energy Group businesses deliver cheaper, greener energy and cutting-edge tech to countries and customers worldwide. About Uplight Uplight is a clean energy technology company that unlocks grid capacity by activating customers and their connected devices to generate, shift, and save energy. Uplight enables sustainable load growth by combining personalized customer experiences with an open, flexible load management platform through the Uplight Demand Stack, integrating energy efficiency, electrification, rates, and flexibility programs to improve grid resilience, reduce costs, and accelerate decarbonization for both energy providers and their customers. Uplight serves over 85 energy providers, including 8 of the 10 largest North American utilities, and is a certified B-Corporation whose purpose is to create a more sustainable future using business as a force for good.