In April, we convened the Perseus Technical Infrastructure Advisory Group, co-chaired by Normative and Icebreaker One. The meeting aimed to address the following:

  • Update on working groups and next steps
  • Sign off on data formats
  • Update on prototyping and agreement on next steps
  • Identification of dependencies with other AG work

Meeting Summary

  • It was discussed that early project phases (e.g. prototype, sandbox, MVP) are about proving value to stakeholders and then validating the value proposition.
    • Establishing a proportionate amount of testing dictates a project’s readiness for production.
    • Quick feedback processes enable teams to make considered choices when descoping.
    • Minimising manual steps during validation enables easier scaling.
  • It was noted that WG1 gave an update on its progress:
    • It has been agreed by AG1 that there is no need for tariff design information except for whether the tariff is labelled as a “green tariff”. AG1 just require data describing spending on standing charges and consumption charges.
    • The data standards document was presented and discussed, including the half-hourly period for which readings count. AG2 noted that the current state is sufficient to enable prototyping work to progress.
  • It was noted that WG2 will be working on ​​security, reliability, efficiency, operational excellence, costs and sustainability. The group presented questions on the workflow (see meeting notes) for consideration by AG1 and AG2 which will be explored further.
  • A prototyping update was presented:
    • The current version of the prototype is on Ory, an open-source platform recommended by the team behind Open Bank Project that has a free hosted Developer edition. 
    • The team has implemented pushed authorisation requests, an extra step in FAPI to mitigate against attacks.
    • On the token, some additions were made to be FAPI compliant e.g. client certificate.
  • It was noted that the cross-AG questions and responses were reviewed:
    • The data that accounting apps need can be found in the 2023 report.
    • AG3 are discussing whether data providers can be trusted to store consent or whether a “Consent Manager” is required, and this may not be determined until Q3.
    • In terms of energy carbon intensity data providers being part of Perseus, AG1 is only considering NG/ESO’s regional intensity API for now.
    • AG1 confirmed that smart meter data should include exports to the grid (at least in kWh, if not £). Reactive power is considered in the response on tariff data, but we need to establish whether reactive power or power factor is measured by commercial smart meters.
  • It was noted that AG1’s Assurance working group is exploring data transfer points. The assurance will concentrate on the protection of permissions and purposes.

The next meeting will take place on July 17th 2024.