P2P energy marketplace expands to serve the Netherlands

Commenting on the new partnership in the Netherlands, James Johnston, CEO of Open Utility, said: “In highly competitive energy markets like the Netherlands, transparency and choice are the key to success. We are excited to bring this proposition to the Dutch market together with Essent, through our Piclo P2P Energy Marketplace. This partnership with Essent strengthens our position as a leader in P2P energy with a proven platform that is flexible and can be applied in various global markets.”

“Essent is a digital energy company, offering our customers smart, sustainable solutions and helping them to use energy more efficiently,” said Stella Brenninkmeijer, Director Marketing Development at Essent. “Therefore, we have established a new digital P2P brand 'Ellyn' to give our business customers easy and transparent access to solar and windparks and give solar and windparks the opportunity to prioritise to whom they want to sell their electricity. Ellyn shows businesses that having solar energy in the night is not possible and that to create a decentral electricity market, still many more wind and solar parks are needed in the Netherlands.”

Growth of the P2P market also in Italy
In June 2017, Open Utility announced that ERG, an Italian renewable electricity generator and supplier, had selected to trial the company’s Piclo Platform to enable Italian businesses to benefit from buying local renewable energy.

Commenting on the expansion to Italy, James Johnston, CEO of Open Utility said: “Peer-to-peer energy matching and specifically our Piclo Platform, are emerging as an important pillar of the global transition to decentralised energy. So we are very pleased to trial our solution in Italy in partnership with ERG . This agreement is a significant milestone for Open Utility - securing our second utility client and bringing P2P energy to Italy for the first time.”

The decentralised energy system
The P2P market is expanding rapidly. Open Utility’s experience includes work with UK – based Good Energy, an energy company founded in 1999 to transform the UK energy market by providing sustainable solutions to climate change. Together the two companies launched Selectricity in 2016, allowing UK businesses to buy renewable power directly from hundreds of independent generators.

The proven Piclo technology and contract with Essent lends further impetus to the growing adoption and implementation of P2P energy technology and the demand for a consumer friendly, decentralised energy system.

"Established utilities are facing a range of disruptive threats and a great way for them to address these is to partner with dynamic growth companies,” said Ian Marchant, the former CEO of Scottish and Southern Energy and an investor in Open Utility. “One opportunity to respond to this environment is peer to peer trading and therefore I am delighted to see this forward thinking partnership between Essent and Open Utility."

Changing the energy market: How the Piclo technology works
Smart meters record how much energy is put onto and taken off the grid. Piclo technology uses this data to match customers with the local generation sources in an optimal and fair way and displays the results to customers and partners via the Piclo website. Open Utility partners handle customer service, provide top-up energy, manage billing and underwrite contracts.

Advantages to customers
Consumers can further enhance their 'green', environmentally friendly lifestyle by choosing to buy local, renewable electricity. Businesses can maximise CSR value from their energy bills, and renewable generators can participate in a local energy market. Leveraging their experience, Open Utility is a key player in the P2P energy sector with the growing adoption of their technology by energy companies in other countries.