Demand aggregator Kiwi Power has launched its third-generation Internet-of-Things (IoT) hardware platform, the Fruit, with new features to improve system integration and control greater numbers of assets.
The new technology has been under development for around 12 months to replace Kiwi’s legacy product, now in its fourth year of operation. The Fruit builds on the company’s existing IoT platform to include new capabilities in response to use cases around storage controls, dynamic fast frequency response programmes and portfolio management.
Kiwi has also used the opportunity to increase its hardware’s ability to integrate into existing metering and controls equipment, with greater communication compatibility between devices. It will also use what has been dubbed ‘Blink-Up’ technology, a process allowing quick and easy configuration of the Fruit Wi-Fi interface during installation.
Gavin Sallery, Kiwi Power’s chief technology officer, said: “We know from our customers that having a product that effortlessly blends with existing infrastructure increases the adoption rate on a technology that is still perceived as new.
“We want our installation partners to have a product which is easy to install and configure, so we provided them the tools to do just that, with visual feedback from the unit even in the absence of data uplink so they know exactly what the equipment status is at any point during the commissioning and operation.”
The Fruit has also been designed to address security concerns around IoT platforms, while Kiwi will also carry out periodic evaluation of the overall platform security and integrity levels to protect clients’ data.
“Customers are increasingly aware of potential security risks when using IoT solutions so being able to deliver a product with very strong security features was a must,” Sallery added.
The new system has also boosted the capability of Kiwi’s offering to control multiple assets on a site by using one Core unit and multiple segments.