Sara Vaughan claims to have fallen into the world of data by accident. If true, it’s a lucky accident that has positioned her within two organisations – Elexon and the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) – that are both underpinned by the view that high quality data is key to making good business decisions.
At the NSTA, Sara is part of a regulatory body, pushing for security of supply and reduced emissions, as it influences industries spanning Oil & Gas, Offshore hydrogen and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
As Chair of the Board at Elexon, the Balancing and Settlement Code (BSC) administrator for Britain’s energy system, Sara is part of an organisation that has, for some years, been proactively shifting its approach to data. An approach that it shares with UK energy regulator, Ofgem.
A common thread
Despite being on different sides of the regulatory fence – one as a regulator and the other as a soon-to-be regulated entity – the two organisations share a common thread in their net zero ambitions, viewing data as foundational to achieving this. Sara explains that Elexon recognised, early on, the value of making data discoverable, accessible and interoperable:
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“Elexon was already heading in the direction that the regulator (Ofgem) was pushing for. In June 2021, we passed a modification that stated all data under the BSC were presumed open. Now we have market-wide half hourly settlement data on the horizon, which is going to massively increase the amount of data that we have to handle”.
Elexon saw the critical role that data would play in the future of energy, understanding that the amount of data it would need to handle was going to increase exponentially. Following appointment by Ofgem in 2021, Elexon now leads a push that will require settlement on a half-hourly basis across the entire energy retail market by the end of 2026.
Open Energy
Sara found herself in a similar environment of preempting regulatory drivers, when working with Icebreaker One on the Open Energy project:
“I first got involved with Icebreaker One in early 2021 and remember thinking, how are we going to get companies to open up their data without a regulatory push? They either need to be able to see the advantages for themselves or need to be required to do it. Otherwise, it all seems quite theoretical.”
The Open Energy project looked at how energy data should be classified, laying the foundational principles of Trust Frameworks while delving deep into work on APIs (application programming interface). Crucially, the project was use-case centric, questioning why and for what purpose the energy industry would want to open up their data. Potential benefits for EV charging infrastructure and solar energy offered two suitable use cases and potential answers to this question.
“There’s been a number of developments in the energy sector since this work. Most notable is a recognition of the importance of automatic asset registration. Installers have to share data on location of certain assets with their local network operator. It’s a prime example of people being more aware of the issues and the possibilities that can arise from sharing data”
Water sector woes
The energy sector looks to be leading the charge in their approach to data. Compare this to the water sector, and we see an industry that is seemingly lagging behind. One potential reason for this disparity and a driver for the energy sector’s progress is competition.
“I’m a firm believer that competition drives innovation, this certainly rings true when it comes to data. Competition opens up possibilities and aids the development of new ideas. And, as companies look at new ways to innovate, having more open and better-quality data only expands these possibilities”.
Political Pressures
With Labour’s recent victory in the UK general election, our thoughts now turn to how this change in government might impact Elexon and the NSTA. For the NSTA, whose sole shareholder is the Secretary of State, the change in government could bring in different opinions on which direction the regulator should take.
For Elexon, the expectation is that the direction of the company will not change. And, more positively, the new government is looking to accelerate progress towards a zero carbon electricity system. Despite this, there may be a slowing down of progress in certain areas. The organisation is due to be industry-owned, for example, transitioning from the newly set-up National Energy System Operator (NESO). The outcome of the election could slow this process.
“With any new administration, roles change and it is likely to take some time for things to get back on track again – although the Labour government does seem to have hit the ground running”.