Kaluza has appointed Scott Neuman as its CEO based in Washington DC, US, as it makes plans to advance its international expansion.
Neuman joins Kaluza from Oracle, where he held the role of senior vice president and head of Opower, which Oracle acquired in 2016. He has also held roles at a number of other companies ranging from Silicon Valley startups to consultancies including McKinsey.
“Kaluza’s progress in the advanced UK market has been impressive to see and I am eager to unlock the platform’s potential on the world’s stage,” Neuman said.
The company signed a licensing and investment agreement with AGL Energy, the largest retailer in Australia, in March, as well as with ENI in France last year.
Launched by OVO in 2019, Kaluza’s platform enables suppliers to engage customers in their energy use through personalised digital experiences and real-time insights that help to reduce carbon emissions and energy costs.
Its flexibility technology is also able to help solve grid volatility challenges through its vehicle-to-grid charging innovation and intelligent demand response.
Chris Russell, managing director of OVO Drive, talked in depth about Project Sciurus, a vehicle-to-grid trial that saw 300 bidirectional chargers installed and operated over 36 months in the most recent Current± Briefings.
The project was run by OVO Energy, Cenex, Nissan and Indra, with Russell stating OVO believes “V2G is feasible and technically viable at scale and it can provide valuable services to the grid”.
In September 2020, Kaluza signed a Memorandum of Understanding with automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to develop a smart charging service for Fiat 500 electric vehicles, with this following on from a trial between Kaluza and Bosch that showed EVs can be smart charged to meet the needs of the local grid via direct connection by using a digital platform.
