5 Minutes With Cooper

Next up in our 5 Minutes With series: Cooper, our Senior Software Engineer. Cooper spends his time developing the systems that enable battery optimisation, from experimenting with digital twins to shaping the platform so new capabilities can be deployed smoothly and at scale. 🔋💻

1- What’s your role at OptiGrid and what does a typical day look like for you?
I’m a Senior Software Engineer. I build software for optimising and bidding Scheduled utility-scale BESS. One of the most exciting things that I do is building the digital twins where I can test new software and play with different optimisation strategies. I also work with the broader software team on platform architecture so we can ship new products quickly and reliably.

2- What do most people get wrong about operating a battery on the National Electricity Market?
I’m not really in a position to say people are getting things wrong as I’m not a trader or analyst. But I’m fascinated by how the NEM is evolving as more batteries come online: changing price dynamics, BESS fleet correlation, capturing more renewable energy, and supporting longer duration storage.

3- What’s something that has changed how you think about batteries or the NEM since you started working at OptiGrid?
I previously worked with an energy retailer, so it’s been interesting to move closer to the generation side. I’ve learned a lot more about market operations, and in particular, how everything can be modelled as a linear optimisation problem if you try hard enough.

4- How does AI deliver value for the renewable energy industry?
AI is at the core of what OptiGrid does with optimising batteries, making intelligent decisions based on more data than humans could realistically manage. For assets like batteries, algorithms are critical to making them financially viable and therefore key to enabling the renewable energy transition.

5- What excites you about life away from work?
I have two fantastic toddlers, which is of course hard work, but immensely rewarding. Seeing them grow into their own little selves is beautiful and exciting.