Infrastructure: the force multiplier behind the future of energy
Every digital product we use today – whether it’s a streaming service, a banking app, or an online marketplace – is powered by the same invisible force: infrastructure.
The biggest (and most transformative) software success stories of our generation have all been infrastructure players: Stripe made it easy to embed payments with a few lines of code. AWS enabled startups to scale without managing servers. iOS opened the floodgates for mobile innovation by giving developers a unified platform.
These companies reshaped their industries not through user experience alone, but by rewiring what was possible behind the scenes, and building the rails others could scale on.
The energy sector is now at a similar inflection point. More consumer-facing apps are coming to market, empowering people to take control of their energy lifestyle and accelerating the transition to a smarter, cleaner grid.
But if energy is going to scale in the same way finance and tech did, it won’t be apps alone that get us there. It’ll be infrastructure – the backend layer that multiplies what those apps can do. Infrastructure is what enables faster launches, greater scale, and long-term ownership of the customer relationship, turning energy products from pilots into platforms.
The energy industry is at an inflection point
Innovation in the energy sector is exploding. Installations of smart energy devices like EVs, solar panels, and home batteries are skyrocketing as consumers look for ways to manage their carbon emissions and energy costs. And consumers expect those devices to work as seamlessly as the digital experiences in all the other parts of their lives.
In response, energy retailers are launching apps that deliver real-time insights, personalized recommendations, and home energy automation. Some are doing it brilliantly: Octopus, now the UK’s largest energy supplier, shows what’s possible when UX and infrastructure are built together.
This surge in consumer-facing innovation is exactly what the energy transition needs. The more accessible and personalized we make energy, the more engaged consumers become – and the more they contribute to a flexible, resilient grid.
But we’re now reaching the limits of what’s possible without a stronger foundation. Apps can deliver real value – to the grid, to retailers, and to consumers – but only if the backend systems are strong enough to support that value at scale.
No matter how good the interface is, we can’t scale energy experiences or monetize flexibility without the right infrastructure underneath.
Infrastructure is the enabler of digital energy
To deliver real impact, energy apps need to interface with a complex and fast-evolving system of devices, platforms, regulations, and market signals. That’s where infrastructure comes in.
The best infrastructure providers abstract away backend complexity, so retailers and developers can focus on building great products and experiences.
Done right, energy infrastructure does three things:
- Abstracts backend complexity: Using one integration to connect to hundreds of device models across OEMs means that app developers don’t need to manage custom connectors or vendor-by-vendor workarounds.
- Standardizes control: Common APIs enable developers to optimize assets like EVs or home batteries in the same way. They unify the way data is read, devices are managed and optimizations are run – regardless of brand or device type.
- Scales fast: A backend that is built to grow unlocks access to millions of consumers and connected devices – without developers having to rewrite their app.
Infrastructure powers speed. It’s what allows teams to launch quickly, test new products, and expand across markets without rebuilding everything from scratch.
It’s also what enables ownership. Retailers don’t want to hand their customer experience over to a third party. With the right infrastructure, they don’t have to. They get full control over the UX, the monetization strategy, and the innovation roadmap, all while scaling efficiently.
Infrastructure isn’t just a technical fix. It’s a strategic advantage.
How infrastructure multiplies impact
Without infrastructure, retailers are stuck stitching together device silos, maintaining fragile integrations, and paying for access on a brand-by-brand basis. All of this delays their route to market, as their backend struggles to keep up with the frontend.
With the right infrastructure, retailers can go from prototype to pilot to platform – without compromising speed, scale, or differentiation.
Open Banking showed what’s possible when infrastructure is prioritized. The introduction of standardized APIs didn’t just make banks more interoperable – it enabled a wave of apps that launched faster, reached more users, and created entirely new business models. By creating a standardized layer of infrastructure, app innovation became easier, faster, and cheaper – so much so that in 2024, over 11.7 million active made more than 22.1 million open banking payments per month.
If we apply that same model to energy, we can unlock a wave of new services: from dynamic tariff switching based on real-time pricing, to automated EV charging during grid-friendly hours, to VPP participation and data-rich home energy insights. The potential is massive.
Infrastructure gaps are holding the ecosystem back
But unlike finance, the energy industry hasn’t had its “app store” moment yet. What’s holding us back isn’t a lack of ambition or frontend innovation – it’s fragmentation at the backend.
The current ecosystem wasn’t built for scale. It wasn’t designed for an energy system with millions of connected devices, hundreds of OEMs, and apps serving millions of users. That’s why we’re still seeing API fragmentation, data silos and scalability limitations.
This isn’t failure: it’s a normal part of a system in transition. But the next chapter requires a shift in the way the system operates.
The companies that will win in the next decade of energy won’t just be the ones with the most devices connected. It’ll be the ones who leverage infrastructure to connect once, and scale fast.
With the right infrastructure, retailers can turn ambition into execution, unlocking new products, new revenue streams, and new markets – without adding new complexity.
Infrastructure is the layer that will decide who leads.
Build what consumers see. Scale it with what they don’t.
We’re not lacking ambition or innovation in energy. We’re lacking the invisible layer that ties it all together.
Every consumer-facing innovation in energy – whether it’s an EV charging app, a smart thermostat interface, or a solar monitoring dashboard – needs a foundation strong enough to support it through explosive scale.
Infrastructure isn’t a nice-to-have: It’s the force multiplier that powers product velocity and commercial impact.
It lets retailers move fast, stay in control, and scale without compromise.
