Quinbrook acquires UK-based AI battery trading platform with eye on net zero grids

Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners, a Queensland-based energy investment manager, has acquired UK-based optimisation and trading platform for grid-scale battery storage Habitat Energy Limited.

With a portfolio of solar, wind, and energy storage projects in operation and in development across Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Quinbrook is now looking to embrace the role that can be played by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in optimising renewables and storage.

The acquisition builds on Quinbrook’s focus on renewables, storage, and grid support infrastructure.

Habitat Energy, which was only founded four years ago and is based in Oxford, England, comprises a team made up of data scientists, software engineers, battery storage experts, and power market trading professionals, has established itself as one of the UK’s leading energy trading platforms.

The company has developed and currently utilises advanced machine learning and algorithmic capabilities to optimize the strategic and financial value of battery storage assets within deregulated power markets – both stand-alone and co-located with renewables.

Quinbrook operates a portfolio of solar, wind, and energy storage projects in operation and in development across Australia, the UK and the US, and is now looking to embrace the role that can be played by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in optimising renewables and storage.

“Habitat Energy was created to bring AI technology to power trading,” said Andrew Luers, Habitat’s co-founder and CEO.

“It continues to be our belief that this combination of AI and human power trading expertise is essential to deliver the full potential of battery storage, and to provide the flexibility that reliable, renewables-based power systems require.

“We’re very proud of what our team has achieved to-date and in particular the contributions we have made to the UK power sector and its transition toward net zero.

Habitat launched an Australian division at the beginning of 2020, hiring former French utility company Engie executive Greg Billman to lead the company alongside Habitat co-founder Ben Irons.

Habitat Energy’s battery storage optimisation platform PowerIQ provides a full service offering including price forecasting, dispatch optimisation, automated compliant bidding and rebidding to AEMO, and a 24/7 trading team oversight.

Habitat is also aiming to make its launch into the United States with a focus on the ERCOT market in Texas, followed shortly by other US ISOs.

“We believe that the ‘Net Zero’ power systems of tomorrow are moving rapidly and inexorably to a place where renewable power assets and storage in all its forms will be managed and optimized with advanced algorithmic capabilities,” said David Scaysbrook, managing partner with Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners.

“The transactional velocity and complexity will quickly overwhelm the ability of current practices to cope with the scale of the transition now underway.

“We believe Habitat is truly ahead of the game in devising ‘state of the art’ methods at the leading edge of data science combined with the power markets know-how to maintain competitive edge.