We brought together a panel of experts to discuss the role that regulation plays in supporting DNOs and unlocking sector-wide innovation, in our February webinar hosted by Icebreaker One Co-Founder and Programme Manager, Gea Mikic:

• Charlotte Hillenbrand, Product Strategist, Icebreaker One
• Sara Vaughan, Non Executive Director, Elexon
• Liam Bennett, Senior Manager – Data Policy and Regulation, Ofgem

The panel started by discussing what’s changed for DNOs and the wider energy market over recent decades, before exploring how the sector can work together to achieve net zero goals. Here’s a summary of the key themes.

1. The impact of transition

Increases in distributed generation require Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) to take on system operator functions; shifting their role from passive/reactive energy distribution to such as and active network management, using new technology and real-time data to make interventions on the network: to the transition from Distribution Network Operator to Distribution System Operator (DSO).

“The distribution network used to be seen as passive. It was basically a conduit for getting power from one place to another. Today is very different. In the last decade, the usage patterns of Britain’s local electricity distribution networks have changed rapidly. There’s been a sharp increase in more low carbon generation connecting to local networks, as both consumers and businesses invest in their own generation equipment” says Sara Vaughan, Non Executive Director, Elexon.

Sara explains: “In a DSO model, the very last thing that the network will be is passive. It is sitting at the centre of thousands of potential interactions, playing host to a variety of different distributed energy resources and enabling flexibility transactions as an alternative to just investing in more network capacity. The key to this, of course, is data and digitalisation. The networks need to know where the assets are, the investors and developers need to know where the opportunities are, and consumers need to know that this is all possible. Greater data visibility and open data are essential steps towards the digital transformation of the energy sector and the acceleration to net zero”.

Are we heading in the right direction?

It’s clear that this is a pivotal moment for the energy sector. How can policy and regulation provide the structural support for this shift?

“What every regulated body needs is a degree of certainty in terms of future policy. My concern, when you couple the current world situation with the cost of living crisis that we’re seeing more generally at the moment, is around political will to keep pushing forward. We know that there are some members of Parliament already who are talking about slowing down the drive to net zero. But we will never get to net zero unless we drive for it. Once we are on that path, then we reduce our dependence on gas and its volatility. So we have to keep that decarbonisation focus and investment going.”

Sara Vaughan, Elexon

We need to work collectively to keep modernising and diversifying our digitised energy systems. Liam Bennett, Senior Manager – Data Policy and Regulation at Ofgem, emphasises: “Digitalisation is the key; driving open data up through the DNOs and up through other systems to provide value. If we keep progressing in silos and we all think that in our individual parts of the system we’re building the right thing, but none of it interacts; we don’t really get that true value in the whole system and we end up either overbuilding or we just fundamentally don’t get there.

“Each DNO having its own data sharing platform is definitely a good starting position. To make data available to consumers, to stakeholders, to Ofgem, is a really positive step. My push to DNOs would be: how do we use those open data platforms? We need to take a common approach, whether it be through an open network project or a third party; making sure that stakeholders and flexibility providers can go and access each of those different data platforms and know what data they’re going to get, in the right fashion, in the right timeliness”.

2. Focus on interoperability

Interoperability is essential if the energy industry is to achieve its 2030 climate targets. Liam states: “The wider system probably needs three key points to deliver in the next 10 years. The first is common data and metadata standards. Ofgem recently published a letter on the common information model for the Long Term Development Statement for DNOs, which is a strong step for us, and we think future standards will also be valuable. Secondly, minimum standards for data quality. Everyone in the digital energy sector needs to know that the data they receive is accessible and acceptable. Thirdly, you need clearly articulated roles and responsibilities in the sector. You need to reduce risk; we need increased regulatory certainty. And we need to understand who you interact with to get what you need to operate in that future system. The operation requires interfaces between different parts.

“We’d like to see the approach DNOs are taking to engage external providers such as Open Energy to find common interfaces. We’ve been on quite a journey so far, from the Energy Data Task Force into the Energy Digitalisation Task Force. We’ve taken quite an open approach to our regulation, collaborating with the sector and with DNOS as well. We want to take that forward. Collaborative and iterative design is the only way we’ll get the energy system we all envisage. So yes, our door is open. We want to design the system with you. Come and help us.”

Liam Bennett, Ofgem

3. Getting started

With so much to navigate, it’s important just to make a start. Charlotte Hillenbrand, Product Strategist at Icebreaker One, explains: “the challenge is always: where do we start? I’ve encountered lots of clients where that conversation has been rolling for a couple of years. And the problems are somewhat known, but the starting point still evades the teams. So that’s where Open Energy is really trying to help DNOs and other players in the sector: to get started. With Open Energy you can dive in and start accessing data; start finding open and shared datasets and see who else in the community is active.

“We’ve really tried as much as we can to facilitate DNOs to operationalise the data best practice that’s laid out in their RIIO-ED2 business plans, because we recognise that this is a really complex space. We’re focussed on removing as much friction from the process as we can, in order to get to value as quickly as possible.”

Charlotte Hillenbrand, Icebreaker One

Charlotte: “We’re indexing and connecting data, not collecting data. So the data will always remain on individual systems. What we’re facilitating is the connection and transaction of datasets in a safe environment. And in that way, you can build the picture, ingest the data you need, and start to map it”.

Get involved

• Become a member of Open Energy to use our pilot service
• Join Icebreaker One, which develops and operates Open Energy, as a supporter
• Sign up to the Open Energy newsletter

We brought together a panel of experts to discuss the role that regulation plays in supporting DNOs and unlocking sector-wide innovation, in our February webinar hosted by Icebreaker One Co-Founder and Programme Manager, Gea Mikic:

• Charlotte Hillenbrand, Product Strategist, Icebreaker One
• Sara Vaughan, Non Executive Director, Elexon
• Liam Bennett, Senior Manager – Data Policy and Regulation, Ofgem

The panel started by discussing what’s changed for DNOs and the wider energy market over recent decades, before exploring how the sector can work together to achieve net zero goals. Here’s a summary of the key themes.

1. The impact of transition

Increases in distributed generation require Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) to take on system operator functions; shifting their role from passive/reactive energy distribution to such as and active network management, using new technology and real-time data to make interventions on the network: to the transition from Distribution Network Operator to Distribution System Operator (DSO).

“The distribution network used to be seen as passive. It was basically a conduit for getting power from one place to another. Today is very different. In the last decade, the usage patterns of Britain’s local electricity distribution networks have changed rapidly. There’s been a sharp increase in more low carbon generation connecting to local networks, as both consumers and businesses invest in their own generation equipment” says Sara Vaughan, Non Executive Director, Elexon.

Sara explains: “In a DSO model, the very last thing that the network will be is passive. It is sitting at the centre of thousands of potential interactions, playing host to a variety of different distributed energy resources and enabling flexibility transactions as an alternative to just investing in more network capacity. The key to this, of course, is data and digitalisation. The networks need to know where the assets are, the investors and developers need to know where the opportunities are, and consumers need to know that this is all possible. Greater data visibility and open data are essential steps towards the digital transformation of the energy sector and the acceleration to net zero”.

Are we heading in the right direction?

It’s clear that this is a pivotal moment for the energy sector. How can policy and regulation provide the structural support for this shift?

“What every regulated body needs is a degree of certainty in terms of future policy. My concern, when you couple the current world situation with the cost of living crisis that we’re seeing more generally at the moment, is around political will to keep pushing forward. We know that there are some members of Parliament already who are talking about slowing down the drive to net zero. But we will never get to net zero unless we drive for it. Once we are on that path, then we reduce our dependence on gas and its volatility. So we have to keep that decarbonisation focus and investment going.”

Sara Vaughan, Elexon

We need to work collectively to keep modernising and diversifying our digitised energy systems. Liam Bennett, Senior Manager – Data Policy and Regulation at Ofgem, emphasises: “Digitalisation is the key; driving open data up through the DNOs and up through other systems to provide value. If we keep progressing in silos and we all think that in our individual parts of the system we’re building the right thing, but none of it interacts; we don’t really get that true value in the whole system and we end up either overbuilding or we just fundamentally don’t get there.

“Each DNO having its own data sharing platform is definitely a good starting position. To make data available to consumers, to stakeholders, to Ofgem, is a really positive step. My push to DNOs would be: how do we use those open data platforms? We need to take a common approach, whether it be through an open network project or a third party; making sure that stakeholders and flexibility providers can go and access each of those different data platforms and know what data they’re going to get, in the right fashion, in the right timeliness”.

2. Focus on interoperability

Interoperability is essential if the energy industry is to achieve its 2030 climate targets. Liam states: “The wider system probably needs three key points to deliver in the next 10 years. The first is common data and metadata standards. Ofgem recently published a letter on the common information model for the Long Term Development Statement for DNOs, which is a strong step for us, and we think future standards will also be valuable. Secondly, minimum standards for data quality. Everyone in the digital energy sector needs to know that the data they receive is accessible and acceptable. Thirdly, you need clearly articulated roles and responsibilities in the sector. You need to reduce risk; we need increased regulatory certainty. And we need to understand who you interact with to get what you need to operate in that future system. The operation requires interfaces between different parts.

“We’d like to see the approach DNOs are taking to engage external providers such as Open Energy to find common interfaces. We’ve been on quite a journey so far, from the Energy Data Task Force into the Energy Digitalisation Task Force. We’ve taken quite an open approach to our regulation, collaborating with the sector and with DNOS as well. We want to take that forward. Collaborative and iterative design is the only way we’ll get the energy system we all envisage. So yes, our door is open. We want to design the system with you. Come and help us.”

Liam Bennett, Ofgem

3. Getting started

With so much to navigate, it’s important just to make a start. Charlotte Hillenbrand, Product Strategist at Icebreaker One, explains: “the challenge is always: where do we start? I’ve encountered lots of clients where that conversation has been rolling for a couple of years. And the problems are somewhat known, but the starting point still evades the teams. So that’s where Open Energy is really trying to help DNOs and other players in the sector: to get started. With Open Energy you can dive in and start accessing data; start finding open and shared datasets and see who else in the community is active.

“We’ve really tried as much as we can to facilitate DNOs to operationalise the data best practice that’s laid out in their RIIO-ED2 business plans, because we recognise that this is a really complex space. We’re focussed on removing as much friction from the process as we can, in order to get to value as quickly as possible.”

Charlotte Hillenbrand, Icebreaker One

Charlotte: “We’re indexing and connecting data, not collecting data. So the data will always remain on individual systems. What we’re facilitating is the connection and transaction of datasets in a safe environment. And in that way, you can build the picture, ingest the data you need, and start to map it”.

Get involved

• Become a member of Open Energy to use our pilot service
• Join Icebreaker One, which develops and operates Open Energy, as a supporter
• Sign up to the Open Energy newsletter

Our Steering Group comprises:

Co-Chairs:

• Gavin Starks
• Sara Vaughan

Members:

• Danae Marshall
• Sophie Adams
• Matt Hastings
• Grant Wilson
• Steven Steer
• Stephen Lorimer
• Ed Evans
• Steven Gough
• Matt Webb
• Richard Hampshire
• Simon Pearson
• Lee Wilson
• Aneysha Minocha
• Cristobal Pollman

Ofgem Observer:

• Heather Swan

The two groups meet monthly and include a wide range of industry leaders and subject matter experts, representing a cross section of private and public players with a unique contribution. The Advisory Groups play a critical role in Open Energy’s development, providing us with a 360 perspective that ensures that Open Energy is designed for and with the energy sector. 

Here’s a summary of everything achieved and discussed in the November meetings.

Membership & Delivery

The group discussed:

• The rich feedback provided on the Membership Contract and a brief update
• Presented the proposed Open Data Principles for a metadata curator, and provided members the document to review and comment
• Presented the proposed organisational onboarding capabilities and requirements for various categories of data consumers, data providers, and data curators
• Discussed the current progress on the data access specifications for pilot phase access conditions 

Still under discussion: 

• Open Data Principles for a metadata curator
• Proposed organisational onboarding capabilities and requirements
• Data access specifications for pilot phase access conditions 

User Needs

The group discussed:

• A narrowed down list of use cases considered in the October meeting which are in scope for Open Energy to deliver
• The progress already being done on an electric vehicle use case around opening up access to charge point data with the Office of Zero Emission Vehicles
• The potential economic, environmental, social benefits of supporting each of the narrowed down use cases
• The potential business cases that would support prioritising one use case over another
• The scoring criteria which can be used to rank the use cases, and voted on the top scoring use case of all participants

Still under discussion: 

• Further scoring of the use cases, and narrowing down to the top two use cases which will be supported by Open Energy in future work

Steering Group

In this session, the Steering Group discussed

• Reflections
  • COP
  • Advisory Group meetings
• Achievements & progress for the Membership & Delivery AG
• Achievements and progress for the User Needs AG
• Alignment statement – update and discussion
• Membership terms of service
• Considered use cases and Problem Statement

1. A web of energy data for everyone that unlocks an open market for existing players, innovators and investors to create benefits for industry, consumers and society.

2. Easy access to authenticated and reliable energy data that maximises value and minimises barriers to competition across the energy sector and beyond.

3. Market-wide cohesion and interoperability across the energy and related sectors, supported by open standards and data infrastructure that underpin and enable downstream markets.

4. Material impact to accelerate innovation and decarbonisation, delivered by industry participation, regulatory support and growth of a thriving ecosystem.

We believe this will: 

• unlock a web of energy data for everyone
• accelerate the transition to net zero
• help unlock innovation and finance across energy and connected markets
• democratise rights to access and use of data
• enable engagements for discourse and decision-making
• provide common solutions for interoperable technology
• take close, collegiate collaboration between industry, Government, regulators and other stakeholders to address societal shared challenges
• empower businesses and consumers to reduce costs and deliver net zero

For more detail about the definitions of terms, including cohesion and interoperability, see https://ib1.org/the-icebreaker-one-trust-framework/ 

“The tie-in with Open Energy is really making our data more searchable,” said Yiu-Shing Pang, Open Data Manager of UK Power Networks. “Our portal facilitates tags and metadata and now we’ve seen the metadata being pulled into Icebreaker One’s Open Energy search platform, which makes our data even more accessible”.

The Open Energy Search system describes datasets that exist, without storing the data itself. It has rich information about the datasets which helps people find the metadata or look for exactly what they want. It discovers metadata both about shared data published by Open Energy members for other Open Energy members. It also includes open data which is shared with everyone, such as the UK Power Networks data. 

“If you want Open Energy search to help make your open datasets more visible, there are two steps you need to take. First of all, is to publish the metadata about your datasets using open standards. Then, let us know about it by emailing us on openenergy@ib1.org. Our data search can then incorporate your datasets and share them with our members and the general public, because this is available to everyone to use today” said Tom Hukins, API and Services Developer, Icebreaker One.

Search the UK Power Networks datasets on Open Energy’s Energy Data Search here: https://openenergy.org.uk/.

https://ib1.org/2021/10/13/icebreaker-one-at-cop26/

1. Read through the Considerations Before you Start for an overview of the skills, capabilities and tasks required*

2. Proactively engage teams or staff members with responsibilities for the four areas of readiness:

• Commercial
• Operational
• Technical
• Legal

3. Ensure that your internal teams action the steps outlined, depending on whether you are a Data Provider or Data Consumer, in order to prepare for data sharing. Sharing of real data will commence when the Open Energy Governance Service goes fully live.

* NB this is a summary for planning purposes and should not be used in place of more detailed operational and technical documentation.

We look forward to welcoming you to Open Energy membership. Please get in touch if you have any questions: openenergy@ib1.org.

The Advisory Groups are directed by the Steering Group who support the overarching strategy, ensure the delivery of our objectives, and help disseminate the work.

The current groups have been meeting monthly since March, with July being the final meeting for this phase of the project. 

We focused the work of the Advisory Groups on two tracks; Membership and Delivery. Each month we have published our summaries in the open on the Latest section of the Open Energy website, EnergyData.org.uk. 

This post summarises the key developments agreed in each month’s meetings, but for more detail on the work in progress from month to month, those monthly summaries are linked below.   

March

In March’s meetings (summary) we agreed the roles and responsibilities for each of the two groups as follows: 

Membership Advisory Group: 

• Membership contract
• Key policies; conditions for participation, roles, responsibilities and liabilities
• Pre-emptive licence
• Funding model
• Ongoing governance

Delivery Advisory Group: 

• Operational guidelines
• Data production, flows and usage
• Authorisation process and audit
• Ensure that the Governance Platform and Data Search capabilities meet user and sector needs 

April

In April’s meetings (summary) the Membership Advisory Group approved:

• Open Energy Terms of Reference for the Advisory Groups and Steering Group
• Standard definitions, acronyms and terminology to be used in Open Energy (Section 2 of Operational Guidelines)
• Consultation on data sensitivity classes (closed 30-April)
• Amends to Introduction (Section 1) of Operational Guidelines
• Roadmap for future Membership Advisory Group meetings (May, June, July)
• Membership charging principles: not-for-profit, proportionate, inclusive

The Delivery Advisory Group approved:

• Open Energy Terms of Reference for the Advisory Groups and Steering Group
• Standard definitions, acronyms and terminology to be used in Open Energy (Section 2 of Operational Guidelines)
• Consultation on data sensitivity classes (closed 30-April)
• Users and key players within the Open Energy ecosystem – Data Providers / Service providers / Dual roles

May

In May’s meetings (summary), the Membership Advisory Group concluded:

• Data sensitivity classes – Open Energy will handle data of varying levels of sensitivity and this final policy document presents a system of five data sensitivity classes, from closed, through shared, to open.
• Also shared an architecture overview

While the Delivery Advisory Group similarly concluded:

• The Data sensitivity classes 
• A review of the operational guidelines sections 1 & 3.

June

In June’s meetings (summary), the Membership Advisory Group:

• Concluded the work on Data Access Conditions, building on the previous work on Data Sensitivity Classes. The Data Access Conditions determine the types of conditions that Data Consumers might be required to meet in order to gain access from Data Providers for different datasets.
• Reviewed the proposed Licensing approach. Together with the Data Access Conditions, the Licensing Model creates flexible options for determining who can access a particular dataset and what can be done with that dataset.
• Discussed the refined OE value proposition and the proposed membership tiers and pricing structure.

The Delivery Advisory Group:

• Concluded work on Data Access Conditions for Data Consumers and the Guidelines for Data Providers.
• Discussed the beta testing results and the lessons learned from the process – both from a Data Consumer and Data Provider perspective. The next session of beta testing is scheduled for July.
• Reviewed Licensing and Access Control conditions which included Authorisation Flows, Licensing Model and Access Rules.
• Discussed the Metadata publication specification which details the content required from the Data Provider for the Metadata files, the technical access specification (API) and data representation best practices.
• Feedback from the Advisory Group on gaining traction included developing further Use Cases, upstream and downstream in the energy value chain, to enable further engagement and enhance user base.

July

July’s meetings will wrap up the Advisory Group process and report back on what we have achieved during this six month phase of the project. 

Through the process of designing, convening, holding, and above all, listening to the Advisory Groups, Open Energy has made great strides in developing its infrastructure, to the point of opening the beta service to the public (apply to join the beta here).

We have significantly developed the Open Energy Standard, and are well on the way to making Open Energy the Open marketplace for energy data.

The Advisory Group process has been extended with the new Data Standards Advisory Group, which had its first meeting on 16th June.

In June we held the fourth of our Phase 3 Advisory Groups tasked with shaping the Open Energy programme of work in the following areas: 1) Membership and 2) Delivery. The Steering Group also met to provide guidance on our overarching strategy.

The three groups convene monthly and include a wide range of industry leaders and subject matter experts, representing a cross section of private and public players with a unique contribution. Our Advisory Groups help us to understand how the UK can better modernise energy data access from a 360 perspective and ensure that Open Energy is designed effectively for the benefit of society.

Here’s a summary of everything achieved and discussed in the June meetings.

Membership

Concluded this month:

• Work on Data Access Conditions, building on the previous work on Data Sensitivity Classes. The Data Access Conditions determine the types of conditions that Data Consumers might be required to meet in order to gain access from Data Providers for different datasets.
• Review of the proposed Licensing approach. Together with the Data Access Conditions, the Licensing Model will create flexible options for determining who can access a particular dataset and what can be done with that dataset.
• Discussion on the refined Open Energy value proposition and the proposed membership tiers and pricing structure.

Still under discussion:

• Operating Guidelines – still in development.

Delivery

Concluded this month:

• Work on Data Access Conditions, building on the previous work on Data Sensitivity Classes. The Data Access Conditions determine the types of conditions that Data Consumers might be required to meet in order to gain access from Data Providers for different datasets.
• Review of the proposed Licensing approach. Together with the Data Access Conditions, the Licensing Model will create flexible options for determining who can access a particular dataset and what can be done with that dataset.

Still under discussion:

• Beta testing – widening the stakeholders for further testing
• Licensing and Access Control – Authorisation Flows, Licensing Model and Access Rules being finalised
• Metadata publication specification – content, technical access specification (API) and data representation best practices
• Development input and prioritisation – looking ahead beyond Phase 3

Steering Group

Actions from the June meeting:

• Agreed:
  • Interim Membership Fee approach
  • Open Energy Proposition
  • Data Access Final Policy 
• Progressed:
  • Open Energy Beta programme
  • EDVP
• Reviewed and provided guidance on:
  • Critical updates and conclusions drawn from the Membership and Delivery AGs
  • Programme RAG (Red/Amber/Green) status
  • Additional items that were for information

In May we held the third of our Phase 3 Advisory Groups tasked with shaping the Open Energy programme of work in the following areas: 1) Membership and 2) Delivery. The Steering Group also met to provide guidance on our overarching strategy.

The three groups convene monthly and include a wide range of industry leaders and subject matter experts, representing a cross section of private and public players with a unique contribution. Our Advisory Groups help us to understand how the UK may better modernise energy data access from a 360 perspective, and ensure that Open Energy is designed effectively for the benefit of society.

Here’s a summary of everything achieved and discussed in the May meetings.

Membership

The Membership AG was well-attended, with great engagement from all stakeholders.

Concluded this month:

• Data sensitivity classes – Open Energy will handle data of varying levels of sensitivity and this final policy document presents a system of five data sensitivity classes, from closed, through shared, to open.
• Also shared architecture overview

Still under discussion:

• Membership tiers and proposed fee structure (based on agreed charging principles of Not for Profit, proportionate and inclusive), now out for consultation until 7 June 2021
• Guidance to support Data Providers in classifying datasets
• Data access conditions that are relevant for the Data Provider in deciding whether to grant access to datasets (consultation now concluded)
• Using feedback received, distillation of the value of Open Energy to best appeal to Data Providers, Data Consumers and Service Providers

Delivery

The Delivery AG was well-attended, with great engagement from all stakeholders.

Concluded this month:

• Data sensitivity classes – Open Energy will handle data of varying levels of sensitivity and this final policy document presents a system of five data sensitivity classes, from closed, through shared, to open.
• Review of the operational guidelines sections 1 & 3.

Still under discussion:

• Private beta testing and consultation underway with various organisations including Western Power Distribution (WPD).
• Data Access: consultation document to determine conditions that Service Providers must meet in order to gain access to datasets in different sensitivity classes.
• Processing of Data: survey to enable drafting of guidelines for how Data Providers publish and classify datasets within the Open Energy ecosystem.
• Data Set Examples: to enable documentation to refer to real data in examples and  demonstrate key features.
• Amplification of Beta Testing to drive wider industry engagement and higher levels of participation – from Data Providers, Data Consumers and Service Providers.

Steering Group

The Steering Group met to discuss two key priorities:

1. Funding post-MEDA Phase 3
2. Integration with EDVP

Actions from the May meeting:

• Discuss data sensitivity classes policy with Ofgem
• Develop commercial membership proposition for Data Providers
• Support the private beta testing programme now underway
• Continue to work closely with BEIS on EDVP integration

Testing period: From mid-May to July
Time commitment: From a few hours upwards (depending on how involved your organisation is)
Type of testing: onboarding to the Open Energy Directory, usability and functionality of Open Energy Search and technical integration
How to apply: Fill in this form
Applications close: 1800 BST 21 May 2021*
*Contact openenergy@ib1.org after this date if you are interested in being a tester.

What kinds of organisations are you looking for?

We’re seeking organisations within the energy industry who are:

1. Data suppliers / providers
2. Data consumers / users

We are particularly keen to recruit participant organisations who may wish to consume data from multiple sources, process them, and re-publish their results as Open or as Shared data.

Further details of specific Data Provider/Service Provider beta criteria are provided below:

If you are a Data Provider you will need to be in a position to…

• provide real data, published online either openly or via mTLS-protected endpoints
• have the appropriate development and devops skills to deploy and maintain mTLS endpoints for our authorisation infrastructure
• deploy and maintain metadata for consumption by our Search service
• provide a point of contact for us to work with you

Note: We will provide a reference implementation in Python using the Flask microframework to get started quickly. We may also be able to provide implementation support for other languages or frameworks if there is sufficient demand.

If you are a Service Provider that consumes data you will need to be in a position to…

• configure and deploy tools or software to retrieve shared data published by data providers — examples that we anticipate being used include Jupyter notebooks or BI tooling
• use Open Energy Search to discover appropriate data sets for use, and provide feedback on functionality and data sets
• provide a point of contact for us to work with you

Open Energy Search is web-based, and requires no set-up. For other tools, we can provide a reference client implementation in the form of a Python library, and may also provide implementation support for tools or languages if there is sufficient demand.

What it means to be a beta tester

Beta testing will start in late May and continue until we launch the next stage – public beta in July 2021. The testing time commitment depends on how involved you’d like to be, from a one-off participation in the onboarding and integration process (likely a few hours spread across a few days) through to more involved and regular feedback with our team, to help shape the future service.

How to apply:
Please fill in this form by 1800 BST 21 May 2021.

For more information on what we are building see:

• an overview of the Energy Data Search 
• an overview of the Governance Service 

In April we held the second of our Phase 3 Advisory Groups tasked with shaping the Open Energy programme of work in the following areas: 1) Membership and 2) Delivery. The Steering Group also met to provide guidance on our overarching strategy.

The three groups convene monthly and include a wide range of industry leaders and subject matter experts, representing a cross section of private and public players with a unique contribution. Our Advisory Groups help us to understand how the UK may better modernise energy data access from a 360 perspective, and ensure that Open Energy is designed effectively for the benefit of society.

Here’s a summary of everything achieved and discussed in the April meetings.

Membership

Approved this month:

• Open Energy Terms of Reference for the Advisory Groups and Steering Group
• Standard definitions, acronyms and terminology to be used in Open Energy (Section 2 of Operational Guidelines)
• Consultation on data sensitivity classes (closed 30-April)
• Amends to Introduction (Section 1) of Operational Guidelines
• Roadmap for future Membership Advisory Group meetings (May, June, July)
• Membership charging principles: not-for-profit, proportionate, inclusive

Still in discussion:

• Membership funding structure
  • What are the minimum viable components required to create an attractive membership proposition?
  • What are the key criteria between levels of membership?
• Governance structure
  • What is the role of the membership in decision making?
  • How can we ensure that smaller participating members are heard and larger members are not able to ‘pay for influence’?
  • What are the proposed procedures for ongoing internal governance?
  • How should we manage problem resolution and dispute policies?
• Operational Guidelines
  • Outstanding sections
  • Review of full draft
• Relationships between data providers and service providers
  • Ongoing questions concerning scope between the two

Delivery

Approved this month:

• Open Energy Terms of Reference for the Advisory Groups and Steering Group
• Standard definitions, acronyms and terminology to be used in Open Energy (Section 2 of Operational Guidelines)
• Consultation on data sensitivity classes (closed 30-April)
• Users and key players within the Open Energy ecosystem – Data Providers / Service providers / Dual roles

Still in discussion:

• The Open Energy onboarding process
  • How can we create a frictionless onboarding process for different organisations/clients/users?
  • Requirements may differ for large companies and/or SMEs due to the legal/commercial implications for their own data management/access policies 
• Data provider guidelines
  • Data sharing architecture, dynamics, processes and mechanics – including APIs
  • Potential classification issues:
    • One entity with different data sets and varying openness levels
    • Entities that are both data providers and service providers
  • How to deal with shifting collaboration partners and timed projects
• Data access policy
  • Conditions for data access, using data sensitivity classes as a starting point for discussion
• Data licensing policy
  • Potential legal and/or commercial matters that may arise as companies open/share data
  • Potential complications re: data redistribution and/or combination and/or onward sharing
  • Dealing with evolving levels of “Openness” for different datasets, especially regulated and/or code based

Steering Group

The Steering Group reviewed what we are aiming to achieve over the next six months, highlighting the importance of the Steering Group in raising and resolving any unanswered questions.

Actions from the April meeting:

• Capture use cases
  • Clarify what liability gets carried where, in which use case
• Refine communications
  • What is Open Energy?
  • What are we delivering vs what we are enabling?
  • What is the future roadmap?
• Define the pricing plan
  • What is needed in the short/medium/long term?
  • Role and approach for continuity funding

Join us as a beta tester organisation

Help shape the future of Open Energy and apply to join us as a beta tester organisation. Beta applications will close on 0900 BST 18 May 2021.