Volts Energy Podcast: Devrim Celal talks Mercury

Devrim Celal of Kraken, a Mercury board member, joined David Roberts on the Volts podcast to explain how Mercury will help smart devices talk to the grid.

Volts listeners include clean energy policymakers, utility leaders and the people building the energy transition.

Devrim set out the problem Mercury exists to solve. Connecting each new device to utilities and flexibility platforms takes custom work, and Kraken alone has built close to 250 integrations. That cost slows down flexibility, and it is passed on to consumers. As Devrim put it: “5% of consumer devices that can support the grid actually do. 95% don’t.”

He explained how Mercury will define functional requirements, testing criteria and certification for each type of device. Mercury doesn’t replace existing communication standards. It focuses on how each device behaves with the grid.

The conversation also covered why certification matters. A certified device keeps working with the grid even if its manufacturer goes out of business. Utilities get devices they can rely on to help manage growing demand. Devrim also credited EPRI with bringing many US utilities to the table.

The ambition is clear. Devrim wants Mercury to “switch that 5% participation metric to 95% participation.”

Listen to the full podcast here.