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Why I’m Excited About Project Mercury: A Consumer’s Perspective

As someone already invested in green tech—with a home battery, solar panels, and smart energy solutions—I was immediately intrigued when I heard about Project Mercury at the Energy Tech Summit in Berlin, October 2024. Yes, I’m that consumer who loves energy tech events! I even make TikToks about my energy bill and solar panels.

When Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy, announced this bold initiative, I knew it was something special. Octopus doesn’t do things by halves. In just 9 years, they’ve grown from a startup to the largest energy supplier in the UK, and I believe Project Mercury could be another game-changer for both consumers and the industry.

What is Project Mercury? A Revolutionary Smart Energy Initiative

Project Mercury is set to revolutionise how we use green technology. Imagine if your solar panels, home battery, EV charger, and heat pump could all communicate directly with your utility company and the National Grid responding automatically to energy demand, pricing signals, and grid conditions. It’s not some far-off dream. If Project Mercury succeeds it’s going to be as easy as connecting your phone to Bluetooth headphones.

The goal of Project Mercury is simple yet powerful. It aims to enable seamless communication between all these smart devices, making energy use more efficient, affordable, and most importantly, sustainable. It’s about ensuring our green tech works together, creating a unified ecosystem that benefits both consumers and the planet.

Attending the Kraken Technology Centre Launch: An Eye-Opening Experience

PROJECT MERCURY LAUNCH EVENT 2024In December 2024, I had the chance to attend the launch event at the Kraken Technology Centre, and let me tell you, it was an eye-opening experience. The room was filled with more than just tech enthusiasts. There were manufacturers, innovators, and utility companies all gathered to discuss how we can better integrate renewable energy into our everyday lives. I even spotted the CEO of GivEnergy, the company behind my home battery, at the event so clearly a strong indicator that manufacturers like GivEnergy see the value in this new standard as a key selling point.

Why Project Mercury Could Be the Future of Smart Energy

As someone who’s fairly tech-savvy, I’m used to tweaking my smart home to get the most savings from my home battery and energy imports. However, with Mercury-enabled devices, the system could automatically manage everything for me. This would take the stress out of energy management. But would I want that control taken away? That’s still something to consider.

What makes Project Mercury exciting is that it’s designed to be so easy to use that even my mum, who’s not very tech-savvy, could benefit. She wouldn’t have to juggle different devices, worry about price signals, or manually control her energy use. For many, these are the barriers that keep them from embracing smart energy solutions, but Mercury could change that. Looking ahead, this could be the future of smart energy. Mercury could make it accessible for everyone, not just the energy geeks like me.  I’m excited to see where it goes. Not everyone wants to treat energy usage as a hobby and Mercury makes this possible!

How Does Project Mercury Work for Consumers?

At its core, Project Mercury is all about creating a bidirectional communication system that links our home devices, for example, batteries, EV chargers, heat pumps, and solar panels connecting to the National Grid. This means that, instead of just drawing power from the grid when needed, these devices can also respond to signals from the grid, or even send power back to the grid when there’s an excess of renewable energy.

Think of it like Bluetooth for your energy system.  Devices will “talk” to each other and to the grid, allowing for real-time energy management. For example, when there’s an abundance of wind or solar energy on the grid, utility companies could send a pricing signal through the Mercury system, encouraging consumers to store excess power or use it when it’s cheap. This would allow us to take advantage of cheaper, surplus energy and potentially lower our energy bills, while also helping balance the grid and make it greener.

@sarah_go_green Yesterday I visited @Octopus Energy Kraken Tech Centre in Manchester. #octopusenergy ♬ original sound – sarah_go_green

Why Project Mercury Could Revolutionise Smart Energy (But Consumers Need a Fair Deal)

This is the big question I’ve been asking myself is how will non-geeks feel about Project Mercury? As someone who’s already invested in green tech, I see the appeal of Mercury in theory. It’s not every day that a middle-aged woman with no ties to the energy sector, other than being a consumer, finds herself sitting among CEOs at an energy event.  That being said Octopus Energy invited me to the Energy Tech Summit and I believe it’s because they see value in customers like me being part of the big picture.

Octopus Energy has always recognised the importance of customers, and I hope Mercury does the same. The promise of an integrated, more efficient way to manage energy in our homes is exciting. However, as a consumer, I wonder how many people like me, who are not energy experts, will feel comfortable embracing such a tech-heavy system. Will Mercury be intuitive enough for non-geeks to adopt? If it’s not, what does that mean for widespread consumer acceptance?

The Need for Fair Compensation: Why Project Mercury Must Offer More to Consumers

While Mercury offers an appealing, streamlined way to manage home energy, there’s a catch, fair compensation. Last year, I participated in Energy Saving Sessions, where I sent energy back to the grid during high-demand periods. This year, I opted out. Why? The compensation dropped significantly. It felt like I was handing over energy I had stored for my home energy without receiving a real benefit in return.

If Mercury wants to revolutionise smart energy, it must offer a clearer value proposition. For me, it’s not just about getting my devices to work together seamlessly—it’s about making sure consumers get fair compensation for their participation. If I allow my home battery or EV charger to respond to grid signals, I need to see real, tangible benefits for my own energy usage, not just a service that benefits the National Grid. I believe in balancing the grid and I want to play my part but there has to be a fair balance. After all, I’ve invested in these devices for my own home, and I believe I should reap some rewards. Have you seen how much power stations have been paid to come online and the games they have been playing?   Consumers have to feel valued!

The Key to Mercury’s Success: Trust and Transparency

For Mercury to work, consumers need to feel that they’re not being taken advantage of. If I’m going to let my devices respond to price signals or even send power back to the grid, I need to be confident that I’m not losing control over my home energy for nothing. The compensation should be transparent, fair, and reflect the value I’m providing to the grid.

This is where Mercury has the potential to succeed where others haven’t. The technology is there to make it work, but if utility companies and tech manufacturers can’t get the trust factor right, Mercury could end up being just another nice idea that doesn’t quite take off but I don’t think for a second this will be the case.

I’m hopeful that this new system will provide consumers with an easy-to-use, “set-and-forget” solution, much like Bluetooth has done for the tech world. But for that to happen, it’s crucial that consumers don’t feel like they’re simply handing over control of their energy use without a clear benefit in return.

A New Era of Smart Energy?

The reality is that we need to make the most of the renewable energy we have, and that means using smart technology to manage our homes and the grid more efficiently. Project Mercury has the potential to create a seamless energy ecosystem that could help consumers like me save money, reduce our carbon footprint, and contribute to a greener future. Whether it will be successful depends on how well utility companies and manufacturers manage the balance between innovation, consumer trust, and fair compensation.

As a consumer, I’m excited by the possibilities, but I’m also cautious and I am trying to not let my rose-tinted glasses run away with me. I want to see how it all plays out. If Mercury can overcome the hurdles of trust and transparency, it could be the future of energy management. Until then, I’ll keep a close eye on how this technology develops and whether it delivers real value for me as a consumer. I would put my money on it being as big and as accepted as Bluetooth.

Final Thoughts: The Smart Energy Revolution Is Here

Project Mercury is more than just an idea it’s a movement that could transform how we manage home energy. Announced by Greg Jackson in October 2024, this initiative has already gained momentum. What makes it so special is that Greg Jackson isn’t seeking power, control, or profit. This is bigger than any ordinary business project. As he said, it’s about the future, the climate crisis, and making better use of renewable energy.

If Project Mercury delivers on its promises, we could soon see a world where our green tech devices like solar panels, home batteries, and EV chargers work seamlessly together. This would help consumers like me save money, use energy more efficiently, and support a greener, more sustainable National Grid. For anyone invested in green technology, this is a truly exciting time to be part of the change.

A Big Thank You to Octopus Energy and Fellow Energy Geeks!

I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Octopus Energy for inviting me to this event. Sitting amongst the innovators and decision-makers, and feeling truly valued as a consumer, is something Octopus does exceptionally well. It’s rare to see a company that not only listens to its customers but actively involves them in shaping the future of energy.

I’d also like to thank fellow Octopus Energy customers, Mick Wall, EV Nick, and Gary Does Solar, for their fantastic company and camaraderie throughout the day. As fellow energy geeks, it was a pleasure to share the experience and discussions with such knowledgeable and passionate people. We may be energy nerds, but we’re always up for a good adventure—and travel far and wide to be part of it!

Project Mercury we are watching you don’t let us down!!

Some other posts by Sarah you may find of interest;

@Sarah_Go_Green