Sharing data collected from market-wide half hourly settlements (MHHS) would “unlock so many opportunities” according to an EDF Energy executive.
Denise Willis, senior manager for industry change at the large supplier, said the sharing of such granular data from smart meters with networks and generators should “definitely be high on the list for prioritisation”.
Willis was speaking as part of a webinar hosted by Utility Week in association with CGI, on the subject of releasing value from energy system digitalisation.
She said moving to a system of opt-out data collection on a half-hourly basis, which is due to be introduced by 2025 following Ofgem’s green light for the scheme in April, was “a massive step-change”.
“At the moment you’ve got to get past customer inertia. You’ve got to make it worth their while to contact you. Ofgem’s approach is really useful because it will hopefully mean we’ve got access to a lot more customer data at that level.”
She said there was a clear case for this data being of use to other parts of the sector beyond energy retailers.
She added: “Access to that data will unlock so many opportunities, especially for networks and generation. An example would be demand-side response and making sure generation is pitched at the right areas.”
Fellow panellist Steven Gough, DSO technical authority at SSEN, agreed, saying: “Understanding what individual generators and small groups of customers are doing is fundamental and getting that information very quickly and being able to inform some of our forecasting is critical. We’ve been trying to feel our way through that using LV monitoring, using machine learning algorithms to try and predict demand in shorter terms using demographic information as well as smart meter data, which we do have access to.
“But being able to do that with low granularity, high accuracy and in real time – or at least moving towards real time – is really fundamental.”
The webinar came on the back of a report published by Utility Week and CGI, which looked at how data and digitalisation strategies across the sector can be aligned and progress made towards the principle of “presumed open” data.
CGI’s VP digital utilities, Rich Hampshire, set out key recommendations from the report, including setting standards for interoperability, addressing gaps in system intelligence, developing a system of clear prioritisation and encouraging new attitudes to risk.
The report also highlights the need to make it easy for customers to participate in a digitalised system, stressing the need for user-friendly tools for managing data access and developing strong incentives for consumers.
Hampshire told the webinar: “When we look at sharing data and winning people’s trust to allow us to access that data there is a lot of evidence that the value isn’t necessarily monetary. We as consumers are more discerning and do recognise societal value, particularly around if that data can be proven to help tackle climate change.”
He added that utilities could look to the way supermarkets and mobile phone providers have persuaded consumers it is in their interest to share their data.
Willis also cited open banking as an example of an example of a sector utilities could learn from, saying the approach to data was “streets ahead”.
Gough agreed with the examples, adding: “Having a quid pro quo for the customer is important. They need to understand the value of that data to them and what they get in return. From the mobile phone perspective, Google and Apple have been very successful with how they provide really clean, accessible services by doing really successful things with data behind the scenes both for the benefit of the customer but obviously for their business as well.
“People opt in to a phone. As a utility, we are there for everyone so it’s not an opt in or out. We have to dance around what is the most appropriate and ethical way to allow that data to be shared.”
He said that early examples of applying open banking practices to open energy had shown that there was a huge difference in terms of the complexity of the use cases and the breadth of the data between the two industries. However, he said there was still “a huge amount” to learn from the way financial services handle data.