What impact does open water data have on the water sector’s ability to confront challenges arising from climate change, environmental dynamics, and evolving customer expectations? And how can companies and utilities work together to achieve success as they embark on the path to making their data more accessible?

Discussing the opportunities and challenges surrounding open data in the water sector, our panel joined environmental journalist and QTalks host Tom Freyberg to answer these questions:

• Nigel Watson, CIO at Northumbrian Water Group
• Gavin Starks, CEO at Icebreaker One
• Lewis Richards, Microsoft CTO for the UK Water Industry

Full episode available below.

Source, and text summary at

AWS hosted an event to explore the challenges of the industry today as we all look to the Energy Systems of the Future and its customers, plus the role that data will play in delivering a more interconnected, data-rich and complex energy system.

Gavin’s slides are below (and as PDF)

https://energyandutilities.splashthat.com/

Full archive of videos: https://www.nasonline.org/programs/scientific-forum/researcher-access.html

Icebreaker One’s presentation begins at 46m 44s.

Session 4:  Privately Held Data: Opportunities, Challenges, and Lessons for Researchers from The National Academies on Vimeo.

Session 4:  Privately Held Data: Opportunities, Challenges, and Lessons for Researchers

This session will explore data collected by private companies, which often contain useful insights that can help alleviate major societal challenges including climate change, healthcare, food security, and disinformation. Accessing this data, however, can be costly, controversial, and unreliable. Solving these challenges could help unlock vast amounts of data for researchers, providing novel insights and better guidance for policymakers. With lessons from social media platforms, mobile health applications, and retailers, this session will highlight best practices for accessing data held by private companies and consider solutions to the challenges of commercial sensitivity, data protection, and emergency preparedness. Attendees can expect to leave with an understanding of the value to be gained from privately held data, topical data security challenges, and an overview of partnership-enhancing technologies.

• Gina Neff, Professor and Executive Director, Minderoo Centre for Technology & Democracy, University of Cambridge
• Henry T. (Hank) Greely, Professor, Stanford School of Medicine, Director, Center for Law and the Biosciences, Stanford University
• Cyndi Grossman, Senior Director, Biogen Digital Health
• Uyi Stewart, Chief Data and Technology Officer, Data.org
• Gavin Starks, Founder and CEO, Icebreaker One

Forum description:

The pandemic has demonstrated that there is strong public benefit derived from researchers having prompt access to a variety of data sources, such as data from public and government bodies, as well as private companies (in particular, tech companies). There is also significant interest in how we connect and link the different data sources. The Forum will address the evolution of researcher access to data; best practices and lessons learned from fields that are at the forefront of data sharing (i.e., climate studies, astrophysics, biomedicine); and challenges related to pressing societal problems such as online information (and misinformation), modelling for pandemics, and using data in emergencies.

Location:
National Academy of Sciences Building, 2101 Constitution Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20418

Session 4: Privately Held Data: Opportunities, Challenges, and Lessons for Researchers

Session Chair: Gina Neff, Professor and Executive Director, Minderoo Centre for Technology & Democracy, University of Cambridge

This session will explore data collected by private companies, which often contain useful insights that
can help alleviate major societal challenges including climate change, healthcare, food security, and
disinformation. Accessing this data, however, can be costly, controversial, and unreliable. Solving
these challenges could help unlock vast amounts of data for researchers, providing novel insights and
better guidance for policymakers. With lessons from social media platforms, mobile health
applications, and retailers, this session will highlight best practice for accessing data held by private
companies and consider solutions to the challenges of commercial sensitivity, data protection, and
emergency preparedness. Attendees can expect to leave with an understanding of the value to be
gained from privately held data, topical data security challenges, and an overview of partnership-enhancing technologies.

Slides [PDF version] and embedded below

The aim is to create a demonstrator that automates carbon footprinting using electricity data in an assurable way. This will reduce the risk for lending book, increase green lending, and unlock access to capital for SMEs on the race to zero.

The initiative has gained both commercial buy-in and government support through the Net Zero Council chaired by Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero, Graham Stuart MP. The coalition hopes this level of support will encourage others in different parts of the ecosystem to join.

The group discussed:

• that data quality is key and highlighted the potential benefits that accurate information can bring SMEs
• that carbon accounting today mostly relies on ineffective spend-based estimates, so it’s necessary to access primary data, at high-resolution, which is actionable and assurable. This will help small businesses win more customers by verifying their sustainability efforts and gaining trust from customers.
• that banks plan to support green loans but need data demonstrating its impact, making it important that SMEs engage with this issue through automation while also being educated about what’s happening in the background uniformly agreed upon by the government.
• the importance of supporting and harmonising the usage of existing standards for carbon reporting
• the need to focus on energy efficiency in commercial buildings.
• the challenges of measuring emissions across different sectors, such as agriculture, and stressed the importance of collaborating with international organizations to ensure interoperability.
• the goal is to create a blueprint for scaling this initiative internationally while avoiding the proliferation of other methodologies or standards.
• that government may need to intervene and establish one set of rails for everyone to minimize effort and confusion.
• the engagement process with SMEs regarding carbon accounting and data sharing. The government is working to provide trusted sources of advice and guidance, while also incentivizing participation in the program. There is a focus on building trust through consent-based data sharing between energy data providers, accounting platforms, banks, and regulators. However, there are concerns about anti-competitive practices in the market and this initiative needs to be framed as a tool for competitiveness rather than just fulfilling regulatory requirements.
• the need for clear communication to bridge the understanding gap among businesses and consumers alike.
• the importance of large enterprises and mid-market companies caring about their SMEs in a different way for sustainability. The need to understand what SMEs need, such as clear and accurate data, was emphasized. Smart meters were discussed, and there is a call for clarity on how to handle energy data appropriately. The group discussed creating a narrative around competitiveness and market opportunity for SMEs with respect to climate change. There is an ask for more clarity on the use case for financial institutions, including delivering universal data.
• overall, the focus is on making sure all stakeholders are engaged in this project and working together cohesively towards achieving net zero emissions goals.

Next steps

• Create demonstrator
• Address reporting standards for small businesses
• Create a concise statement or page explaining what’s happening with the project and why SMEs don’t have to do anything
• Joint presentation at COP involving stakeholders from bankers, energy sector, and targeted SME sector showcasing success of project

To get involved, please contact perseus@ib1.org

https://app.livestorm.co/customer-experience-foundation/webinar-how-to-deliver-a-customer-centric-data-driven-approach-to-net-zero/live [nb: registration currently required]

Gavin’s presentation covered the systemic changes that are happening, enabled by better access to data, that require a different mode of thinking as to what constitutes ‘business as usual’, and how these relate to our net zero future.

Background

For this Webinar, CXFO partnered with Teleperformance to discuss the topic: How to deliver a customer-centric, data-driven approach to net zero.

Many UK businesses are facing a number of challenges, including rising customer expectations, the need to decarbonise, and the increasing importance of the correct use of data.

This webinar will explore how organisations can overcome these challenges and create a more sustainable future for themselves and their customers. It will also look at how UK companies can use data to improve customer experience, reduce costs, and decarbonise their operations.

Speakers

Our keynote speaker is Gavin Starks, CEO of Icebreaker One, a non-profit organisation that aims to make data work harder to deliver a Net Zero Future. The webinar will also feature participants from organisations who will share their insights on how they are using data to improve customer experience, reduce costs, and decarbonise their operations.

Data

Data is a powerful tool that can be used to improve customer experience, reduce costs, and decarbonise operations. By collecting and analysing data, companies can gain insights into customer behaviour, identify areas where costs can be saved, and develop new products and services that meet the needs of their customers.

Net Zero

The UK has committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. This is a major challenge, but it is one that many companies are well-placed to help meet. By using data to improve efficiency and develop new low-carbon technologies, companies can play a vital role in helping the UK achieve its net zero goals.

Customer Experience Case Study

Customers are increasingly demanding a better experience. For energy and utilities companies for example, they want to be able to access their accounts online, manage their energy usage, and get help when they need it, all through a single, easy-to-use platform. Companies that can deliver a great customer experience will be well-positioned to win and retain customers.

Why Attend?

The webinar will provide you with the latest insights on how to use data to improve customer experience, reduce costs, and decarbonise their operations.

Get the latest insights on how to:

• Improve customer satisfaction
• Reduce costs
• Increase innovation
• Enhance brand reputation
• Create more sustainable future

24 May 2023 10:30 – 12:10

https://www.innovationzero.com/programme-2023?&filters.STREAM=energy-forum&searchgroup=2BBF7E7B-programme

This session gives a unique opportunity for UK start-ups/unicorns/SMEs with genuinely ground-breaking technology to pitch their innovations and inspire the audience as to how they can play a part in accelerating the ‘zero’ transition. Technologies across nuclear, battery storage, hydrogen, carbon capture, network balancing, fuel cells, electrification, circular economy (e.g., waste to fuel) are expected.

This session welcomes innovators and thought leaders with the ideas and technologies to make a difference.

On Tuesday 28th March, Icebreaker One held a live webinar to urge stakeholders to join the ESG Advisory Group (join here). With the aim of assessing the environmental data in ESG reporting, we convened stakeholders from across the ESG ecosystem in a bid to unpack the barriers and opportunities within the ‘E in ESG data’.

The real economy & the financial economy

In our research, an initial issue which surfaced was the link between the real economy and the financial economy when it comes to ESG reporting. A blurred line (or more accurately, a blurred loop) exists between data on energy and utilities, and how this feeds into the financial economy in a meaningful way that is aligned with net-zero. Equally, it’s unclear how to make financial flows consistent with the real economy and how to join the dots between financial incentives and ESG reporting. To begin to address these questions, we had to go deeper than the reporting, and focus on the data itself.

Drilling into the data

ESG data comes in formats that are not always machine readable and those that are, contain poor quality data, giving rise to potential greenwashing. Additionally, ESG dataset licences are not always clearly defined, with the datasets that are open, sparsely available because most are commercialised. In short, ESG data is not perfect, with limitations in the access, quality, transparency and trust of the data.

The trust issues in ESG data were echoed by a member of the webinar, who voiced the need for open data but felt there was a lack of trust or a hesitancy surrounding it. A common problem across the ESG ecosystem, they saw that organisations weren’t sure on the issues that could arise around competition or the changing of risk profiles. The drawbacks surrounding ESG data were also highlighted in our poll, in which we asked the audience: ‘How would you rate your confidence in the quality of environmental data in ESG reporting?

While the 39 percent who answered ‘low’ was unsurprising given our research, the 33 percent who voted ‘not sure’ led to the introduction of another question – what does quality environmental reporting actually look like?

One such regulatory body who has provided guidance on effective ESG disclosures is The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). TCFD outlines seven principles: relevance, specificity, completeness, consistency over time, comparability over time, reliability and timeliness.

Despite leaving the door open for subjectivity, these principles provide some direction on what good ESG reporting should look like. As TCFD disclosures move from voluntary to a more regulated model, we can begin to assess, firstly, if these criteria are being met and secondly, if the information provided is being put to use in a method consistent with net-zero targets.

ESG advisory group

The webinar provided a focused insight on the limitations of ESG data as well as helping us understand how improving environmental data in ESG reporting could be the momentum shift needed to incorporate net zero data into the financial economy.

Through our Open Net Zero work, Icebreaker One is making net-zero data more discoverable, accessible and usable and we aim to apply this model to ESG data. In order to achieve this, we’re running a number of Advisory Group sessions, inviting input from stakeholders across the ESG ecosystem. If you’re part of the ESG ecosystem, register your interest here to shape the future of Open Net Zero and ESG data.

Where: Register here for the live webinar

About this webinar: As part of our Open Net Zero work, Icebreaker One is convening stakeholders across the ESG ecosystem, providing valuable insights on how more transparent, comparable and standardised environmental data can benefit both the planet and business. 

We’ll hear from our researchers; Sheree Hellier and Emmanuel Coker, who are working to uncover the gaps in ESG data, as well as defining the requirements for a framework for easily discoverable and accessible net zero data. 

And, as we approach one year since mandatory TCFD (Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures) regulations were put in place, we’ll see to what extent environmental data is becoming available and how this can be put to use in the financial economy. 

Please join us at 2pm on the 28th March 2023 to gain greater knowledge of the ESG data landscape.

What we’ll cover:

• Defining the ESG ecosystem and the goals of Open Net Zero
• The differing levels of accessibility in ESG data
• The key issues in access and comparability of ESG data
• The role of ESG data in providing a more complete view of climate risk

Who:
Gavin Starks, Founder, Icebreaker One
Sheree Hellier, Researcher, Icebreaker One
Emmanuel Coker, Business Data Analyst, Icebreaker One

If you think a colleague or sector expert would be interested in joining this event, please share it with them.

Source: https://www.thisisdesignintelligence.com/2023-podcasts/start-by-starting/

Outcomes we highlighted included Open Standards and Trust Framework(s):

1. A clear, trusted, impactful and detailed governance framework that enables government, businesses across sectors, consumers and third-party developers to understand the potential of open access to data.
2. Detailed descriptions of the application of the framework in practice, based on user needs and use cases.
3. Delivery of Search and Governance as industry-facing operational services that instil trust. 

This is part of a contribution towards the implementation of the G7 ARE’s Berlin Roadmap 2022-2025 during Japan’s Presidency of the G7 in 2023.

In 2019, the Environment Ministers’ Communique outlined the need for broad ecosystem collaboration to improve resource efficiency. The communique recognised the burden associated with complex and often divergent reporting frameworks. It also envisioned product-level, transparent emissions reporting and data exchange across the value chain.

The Berlin Roadmap for the G7 Alliance on Resource Efficiency (G7 ARE) (2022-2025) emphasizes the need for the exchange of granular, high-quality environmental information to prevent greenwashing. The roadmap leverages best practices and identifies gaps and pain points that hinder progress.

G7 goals and legislation
The G7 is aligned in its ambitious goals to decarbonise, drive resource efficiency and enhance biodiversity, and it acknowledges the pivotal role that these goals play in achieving sustainable development.

Discussions have included:
• the status quo and challenges concerning the exchange of product data
• the role of cooperation in addressing gaps and potential synergies in ongoing initiatives
• how can policymakers support progress

Imagine a world where accurate, trustworthy data flows easily around the world, helping decision-makers take bigger, bolder and more accurate steps towards net zero.

https://stateofopencon.com

But what does the data tell us? How does data help us understand climate change, and how can data infrastructure and data sharing can help us to tackle it in the next decade and beyond?

The ODI’s Emma Thwaites discusses data and climate change with Gavin Starks, founder of Icebreaker One. Gavin was also the founding CEO of the ODI, running it from ‘start-up plan’ in 2012 to 2016.

Source: https://www.theodi.org/article/data-decade-data-and-climate-change

About this webinar:
Icebreaker One has partnered with the Data Communications Company (DCC) to run a feasibility assessment of an open, standards-based approach for a Smart Meter Data Repository.

This is part of a Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) project to determine the technical and commercial feasibility of a Smart Meter Energy Data Repository, to quantify the benefits and costs of such a repository, and to simulate how it could work.

Access to energy data – including smart meter data – is vital for a flexible, digitalised, and decentralised energy system. The Energy Digitalisation Taskforce report recognises data as being crucial to the delivery and operation of a net zero energy system, and acknowledges smart meter data as a key dataset is not effectively flowing.
Watch this webinar to hear more about the SODA project and how smart meter data can help us all to achieve net zero.

Who:
Kathryn Corrick, Development & Strategy Director, Icebreaker One
Matt James, Head of Strategic Innovation, Smart DCC
Michael Bird, Researcher, Icebreaker One
Gea Mikic, Programme Director, Icebreaker One

Organizer: Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IEE CAS) (中国科学院电工研究所)

Host: Mission Innovation Chinese Secretariat

The power sector accounts for about a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions and almost
40% of global energy-related CO2 emissions. In 2021, the renewable power generation led by
wind and solar energy reached 3657.2TWh, with a year-on-year growth rate of 17%, accounting
for more than half of the global power generation growth in the past two years. In response to
the decarbonization challenges and growth in market demand for green low-carbon
technologies represented by renewable energy, there is an urgent need for the world to take
concerted and vigorous action to provide innovative solutions to the key technology, policy
regulation, investment and financing bottlenecks encountered in building a safe, efficient and
economic low-carbon power system.

The workshop brings together senior representatives from governments, international
organizations, leading companies and academic institutions to engage in a cloud-based dialogue
on the second phase of Mission Innovation to promote a high proportion of global renewable
energy applications. The conference will review innovative actions achieved in China Under
Mission Innovation, and join forces together with GPFM members, to discuss and exchange
global R&I innovation priorities and deployment in the field of green power from 2022 to 2024.

Slides from our presentation: Icebreaker One presentation for Mission Innovation workshop

This fireside chat, streamed live from COP27, addressed the importance of and need for positive collaboration, highlighting the fundamental, complementary role both of the private and finance sector and policymakers in achieving our climate goals. By creating clarity on how both sets of actors can contribute to the net zero transition, and what policies can optimise the contribution banks can make to the decarbonisation of the real economy, the objective for the session was to enable policymakers, banks and industry to most effectively drive the economy to a net zero future. 

Moderator:

• Heather Buchanan, Director & co-founder, UK Bankers for Net Zero

Confirmed panel:  

• The Rt Hon Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, 
• Natalie Blyth, HSBC, Global Head of Commercial Banking Sustainability
• Will Jackson Moore, PWC, Global ESG Leader

The future of sustainability reporting with Icebreaker One

Our financial institutions are investing and managing trillions of dollars towards a lower carbon future.  As regulatory and net zero policies increase, today is the simplest things are going to be. We must address the scalability of trusted, verifiable and comparable reporting. At the moment global initiatives are pushing towards delivering a lower carbon future but they cannot yet prove that we will actually hit net zero. We need to improve access to data at scale, to improve its quality, reliability and assurance to ensure we move away from estimations.

This fireside chat, streamed live from COP27, with Gavin Starks from Icebreaker One addressed the core reporting challenges faced by organisations today and how Icebreaker One is helping deliver Bankers for Net Zero’s new programme of work that will deliver rapidly scalable, low-effort, low-friction sustainability reporting for SMEs.

About this webinar

In 2017, Arup defined its group data strategy. For the first time, it integrated the firm’s deep data expertise with Arup’s commitment to net zero and the Sustainable Development Goals.

This in-depth conversation between Volker Buscher, Chief Data Officer at Arup and Gavin Starks, Founder and CEO at Icebreaker One, will look at what it takes to develop a data strategy in a business committed to net zero.

It covers:

• What is a data strategy, and why have one?
• How Arup developed its data strategy
• What it takes to align data and sustainability expertise on an executive level
• Insights from Volker’s experience
• How a shared data ecosystem supports Arup’s approach to big data

Their conversation contains vital insights and advice for anyone in a data or sustainability leadership role.

On Wednesday, June 29th, Icebreaker One and Climate Arc held a London Climate Action Week event in collaboration with Chatham House, focussed on the role of open data and open standards for net-zero financial decisions and in the climate transition. With over 60 experts and practitioners in the financial, investment, and data analytics sectors, attendees helped identify key gaps and innovative solutions to bring climate science into mainstream investment decisions. 

Register your interest to be involved
in future events and conversations

The world of climate data is increasingly complex and challenging to discuss given the range of different organisations and initiatives involved and the rapidly growing demands from the finance sector. Above is a simplified version of Climate Arc’s ongoing mapping of the flow of climate data – from corporates to financial institutions.

A broader view of the ecosystem, including real and financial data economy data, and models, is below:

The key themes and actions that emerged were:

Finance needs better access to net-zero data

• An open data and open standards approach would enable a clear ‘demand signal’ to be sent from the financial sector back to corporates, connecting net-zero financial decisions to the real economy. Users of climate data should be able to ‘see’ where climate data comes from and what methodological steps and estimates have been applied.
• This would require a set of rules and processes so that climate data is transparent, machine-readable and trusted. It could be achieved, for example, via a new Open Climate Data Standard. A federated, web-based approach could allow stakeholders to ‘connect’ rather than ‘collect’ – accelerating action. 
• Whilst broad consensus exists over the need for open climate data, the different models and language for frameworks, disclosures, taxonomies and licensing (e.g. open license vs open access) are leading to some confusion among stakeholders. 

Engagement is key to shaping an open climate finance data ecosystem

• There must be engagement with stakeholders on the ground and those actually dealing with a challenge and may know what data is needed.
• This should be a wide-reaching, actionable conversation, with global stakeholders.
• There is a well-defined challenge in gathering data from emerging markets where data is lacking. Individuals, organisations and representatives from emerging markets should be directly involved in this process. 

The data needs to be consistent, transparent, and credible 

• The data needs to be consistent, with clear standards which are transparent and credible. 
• The data will need to be auditable, verifiable information to be usable in financial decision-making.
• There could be a common platform for modelling and sharing estimation methodologies to promote consistency in analysis, once the data infrastructure is in place. 
• Increased transparency is needed on estimate methodologies to have accurate financial disclosure analysis. 
• Clarity is required on the different frameworks, disclosures, and taxonomies so stakeholders can make informed decisions. 

Well-defined metrics and open data allow for comparison

• There is value in agreeing upon and developing specific metrics to be able to compare and contrast between organisations and hold them to account. 
• Having open and accessible climate data allows for all further analysis to be grounded in a single source of information.

Why did we run the event?

Currently, access to much of the world’s financial data for assessing and measuring the transition to net-zero is restricted in some way. It is essential to unlock the data flow by creating processes, policies, and guardrails that make sure data is comparable, machine-readable, and trusted. Opening up data and using Open Data reduces the friction in a wide range of use cases for climate-related financial data. A federated, web-based approach for accessing open data allows practitioners to connect rather than collect required datasets. This is aligned with our Icebreaker Principles (open to comment).

This event convened key data providers and users to discuss the ambitious future with open climate data at the heart of innovative solutions. In preparation for the event, Climate Arc developed an ecosystem map of the current market and how data flows between them. This was then used as a basis for two workshops during the event. The first workshop session challenged attendees to think through what is missing and what solutions are needed. The second workshop asked participants to think through what principles should be considered to deliver an operational open climate finance data ecosystem, and how to achieve widespread adoption. 

Register your interest to be involved
in future events and conversations

Resources:

Please find the event briefing note, ecosystem map, slides and workshop materials below:

• Event Briefing – Pre-read note
• Data definition and market architecture for data — positioning slides open version [or PDF version]
• Report on the market architecture for non-financial / ESG data sharing
• Climate Arc PDF summary

It includes:

1. What did we set out to achieve?
2. Demo
3. Use cases: how we got there and who was involved?
4. Policy & governance: what we did and why was it important?
5. What were the outcomes and how are we evolving the service?
6. What can you do to get involved? 

For more information, and to join, please see https://openenergy.org.uk