Newcastle businesses collaborate to develop a ‘first-of-its-kind’ renewable energy app

Two Newcastle-based companies have combined their expertise in technology and sustainability to develop a new renewable energy app that they hope will be the first of its kind in the UK.

The collaboration between renewable energy startup Swarm and tech consultancy Opencast aims to make homeowners’ lives easier and more environmentally friendly. The Swarm app, created by the company’s team of hardware and energy experts, will allow users to optimise how and when energy is used in the home.

It will work with any smart device in a home, including electric vehicle charging stations and solar panels. The app will help people transition to electric homes and provide consumers with stability during times of volatile energy prices.

Swarm co-founder and chief technology officer, Anthony Piggott, commented: “There’s a lot of clever technology out there that helps people manage the energy in their homes but, incredibly, there’s nothing in the UK that works with different brands and devices, meaning people can’t currently control all the energy devices across their home in one place. We knew we could create something to change this and chose Opencast as our lead partner. With their tech expertise and our knowledge of the energy sector, we have the ability to make something really exciting: one app to control every aspect of energy in the home.”

The two companies’ collaboration will see Opencast contributing its technology expertise to the Swarm team. Both companies are based at Hoults Yard in Byker, where the new app will be demonstrated and tested in a purpose-built energy hub.

Opencast will collaborate with Swarm to advance its technology and help the new company grow. With a team of around 500 people, Opencast works to improve people’s lives through the power of technology and people, and its vision is to have a positive impact on society by providing sustainable, fairer solutions for all.

The rapidly expanding consultancy already serves clients in government and business, providing services such as digital customer experience and product and service innovation. Its new collaboration follows previous collaboration with the Swarm team.

Opencast chief executive, Tom Lawson, added: “We’re pleased to be working with the Swarm as it starts on its journey to improve consumer access to renewable energy. As a business, Opencast is committed to delivering social impact and to using our capabilities to deliver digital technologies that support a greener future. We are pleased to be working with another North East headquartered business that is committed to sustainability. Our firms share the same work culture and have similar ways of working and we want the two businesses to support each other’s growth.”