Yottar Seeks to Help Energy Users Secure Grid Capacity

As advancements in AI and electric vehicles drive higher power demands, the electrical grid is facing significant strain.

Introducing Yottar, a startup dedicated to mapping the electrical grid’s capacity, helping businesses pinpoint ideal locations for new data centers, EV charging stations, and other energy-intensive projects.

“There’s a conflict between the electrification super cycle and the growth of AI data centers, which complicates the management for grid operators dealing with the backlog,” said Peter Clutton-Brock, co-founder and CEO of Yottar, in an interview with TechCrunch.

“For example, in London, nearly all the capacity for large data centers has been used,” he mentioned. “The challenge isn’t about having spare capacity; it’s regarding the timing of essential upgrades.”

As outdated grids come under increasing pressure, companies like Yottar are stepping in to help energy consumers navigate these obstacles. Other firms, such as Gridcare, focus on identifying underutilized capacity, convincing utilities that more space exists than reported.

Yottar, however, adopts a different approach. Rather than disputing existing capacity, the company creates detailed maps showing where grid capacity is available and the power accessible at each location.

“There are several other players in this field, each targeting slightly different use cases,” Clutton-Brock noted. “We concentrate on what we define as medium-sized demand developers—those who consume electricity instead of generating it.” He added that projects typically range from 1 to 5 megawatts.

Yottar’s clients include Tesla and the U.K.’s National Health Service. Tesla uses the startup’s SaaS platform for selecting sites for new Superchargers and enhancing existing ones, while the NHS utilizes Yottar to identify clinics and hospitals that are suitable for EV chargers and for planning solar panel deployments or new radiology unit constructions.

“They can’t afford to evaluate each location one by one,” Clutton-Brock remarked.

Recently, Yottar secured a $1 million pre-seed funding round led by Haatch, with investments from Cape Capital and various angel investors. The startup also plans to introduce a new feature allowing companies to quickly assess which locations can accommodate upgrades or new installations, as revealed exclusively to TechCrunch.

Yottar gathers most of its data directly from distribution networks, as required by regulators. The company also licenses private data that isn’t publicly accessible and continuously updates its records with anonymized information from successful grid connections made by its clients.

Currently, customers pay a fee per seat coupled with a usage charge based on the number of sites evaluated. Clutton-Brock noted that their primary competition comprises consultants. “That’s the existing alternative, which isn’t viable for smaller demand developers.”

Currently, Yottar operates within the U.K., but Clutton-Brock aims to expand into the U.S. and other regions. “This is a global issue that requires a worldwide solution,” he affirmed.