How a Dublin Startup and Samsung Are Using Batteries to Solve the Grid's Biggest Problem

Samsung Ventures Backs GridBeyond to Revolutionize Energy Grid Management

The electrical grid is undergoing its most dramatic transformation in history. Over the past decade alone, the rise of solar panels, wind turbines, and large-scale batteries has fundamentally disrupted how power is generated and distributed. Yet despite this rapid evolution, one stubborn challenge remains — keeping supply and demand perfectly balanced, especially during peak hours.

"The problem on the grid is a peak problem. Most of the time you're okay, you have plenty of power. But in those peak hours you might not have enough," said Michael Phelan, co-founder and CEO of GridBeyond, in a conversation with TechCrunch.

What GridBeyond Actually Does

Founded in Dublin, Ireland, GridBeyond develops both hardware and software designed to connect fragmented pieces of the energy grid into what are known as virtual power plants. By linking together batteries, renewable energy sources, and large industrial consumers, the company creates a coordinated network capable of responding dynamically to shifts in electricity supply and demand.

Currently, GridBeyond manages approximately 1 gigawatt of generation capacity — spanning solar, wind, battery storage, and hydropower. On the demand side, it oversees several additional gigawatts across commercial and industrial operations. Its hardware controllers are deployed across energy facilities and large commercial sites in Australia, Ireland, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The Island Origin Story

Like many virtual power plant companies, GridBeyond's roots trace back to an island grid. As Ireland began integrating large volumes of wind energy, grid operators quickly encountered a familiar island problem — limited interconnection and a constant need to balance variable power sources. This environment proved to be the perfect testing ground for GridBeyond's flexible load management technology.

"They hit this problem where they were an island and they had to balance the grid. So it was very suitable for them to have things like flexible load that they could put into the market," Phelan explained.

The Growing Role of Batteries

While demand-side flexibility has long been a tool in grid management — operators have historically paid heavy industrial users to reduce consumption during heat waves or periods of high demand — batteries have introduced an entirely new dimension to the equation.

GridBeyond manages several large-scale energy storage systems, including an impressive 200-megawatt battery installation in California. Unlike traditional peaking power plants, which can take several minutes to come online, batteries respond almost instantaneously to shifts in demand. This speed enables GridBeyond to buy and sell electricity rapidly, effectively engaging in a form of energy arbitrage that generates revenue while supporting grid stability.

Solving the Data Center Dilemma

The urgency of GridBeyond's mission is increasingly tied to the explosion of artificial intelligence infrastructure. Data centers training and running large AI models consume enormous amounts of electricity, and their power demands are often irregular — spiking sharply during AI training cycles and then dropping off. These oscillations can destabilize the broader grid.

"You know the thing that collapsed the Spanish grid — which is not what people want," Phelan noted, referencing the risks posed by sudden, large fluctuations in power draw.

By deploying batteries at or near data centers, GridBeyond can absorb these spikes, smoothing out the facility's footprint on the grid and reducing the risk of disruptions. This capability also makes it significantly easier for hyperscale data center developers to secure grid connections in the first place.

"If you have enough energy stored in a battery or you have an industrial load you can turn down — and it's hundreds of megawatts — then you can start building those hyperscalers," Phelan said.

Samsung Ventures Leads €12 Million Funding Round

To accelerate its expansion, GridBeyond has raised a €12 million (approximately $13.8 million) equity round led by Samsung Ventures. The funding round also drew participation from a notable lineup of strategic and financial investors, including ABB, Act Venture Capital, Alantra's Energy Transition Fund, Constellation Technology Ventures, EDP, Energy Impact Partners, Enterprise Ireland, Klima, Mirova, and Japanese technology company Yokogawa.

The broad investor base reflects growing institutional confidence in software-driven grid management as a critical enabler of the global energy transition. With AI power demands surging and renewable energy penetration continuing to rise, platforms like GridBeyond's are becoming essential infrastructure for a more resilient and flexible electrical grid.