LONDON, Aug. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Shanghai ZOE Energy Storage (ZOE) and global clean energy leader Octopus Energy signed a Strategic Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on July 10, 2026 at Octopus Energy's UK headquarters. The two parties will integrate local industrial resources with cutting-edge international digital energy technologies. They agree to establish a comprehensive co-operation agreement, with a shared ambition to explore a joint venture in China to build a smart energy and virtual power plant (VPP) ecosystem tailored to the domestic market, setting a new benchmark for Sino-foreign energy digital cooperation.
ZOE Energy Storage is a benchmark VPP service provider in China, holding operational VPP licenses in multiple provinces and has established a provincial-level directly dispatched VPP. ZOE offers end-to-end capabilities covering investment, construction, trading, and operations, building deep local competitive moats through its ecosystem partnerships.
Octopus Energy operates across 27 countries, serving 11 million households and managing £7 billion in renewable energy assets, covering PV, storage, heat pumps, and cross-border VPPs. The company has developed proprietary, field-proven AI forecasting, dynamic pricing, and cloud-edge coordinated dispatch systems-its core algorithms having been validated across multiple markets-giving it mastery over the foundational technologies for global VPP operations.
This partnership achieves deep complementary advantages: ZOE will be responsible for domestic VPP business development, integrated hardware & software deployment, compliant operational management, and localized product services; Octopus Energy will contribute its core algorithms and global operational expertise, adapt technologies to Chinese regulations and driving continuous optimization. A joint working group will conduct feasibility studies, compliance assessments, and commercial planning to advance their comprehensive partnership.
The proposed platform will integrate resources from commercial and industrial users, industrial parks, distributed PV, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure, to build a one-stop intelligent VPP operation system adapted to domestic grid rules. Through fine-grained dispatch, it will enhance returns on distributed assets, smooth renewable fluctuations, and underpin new-type power systems.
Both parties stated that this cooperation marks a strategically significant milestone in cross-border energy technology innovation and synergistic transformation. Looking ahead, they will continue to deepen partnership through co-innovation and market expansion, unlocking distributed energy value with digital technologies, blending international expertise with local practice, and advancing China's dual-carbon goals while leading the smart energy industry upgrade.
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