“We recognised, early on, that a shift was needed in the way we viewed ourselves as ‘just’ an energy company. We looked at what these big technology companies were doing and recognised the value that better access to data could have in areas like predicting asset failure”  Michael Glass, Data Governance and Information Manager, SSEN Distribution

The great enabler

SSEN Distribution looked to leave behind a mindset that viewed data and data governance as a ‘nice to have’. Replacing it with a firm belief that ‘data is the single biggest enabler of a decarbonised, decentralised and digitised energy future’, and critical to achieving net zero. SSEN Distribution recognised that data needed to be embedded in the day to day decision making of the business and that this data needed to be accurate and trustworthy. 

“Good decisions made with bad data are just bad decisions we don’t know about yet. It’s only with good data that you can make good decisions.”

The journey of EV uptake has not exactly been a smooth one. At the beginning of 2023, amidst a backdrop of higher electricity prices and falling fuel prices, uptake dwindled. But, rather than stunting it, the turbulent nature of EV uptake has only strengthened the case for aligning chargepoint demand with network capacity. By working with Icebreaker One to tackle data silos and build out data-sharing opportunities, SSEN Distribution was one of the first among their peers to take action on this crucial piece of work.

“The installation of EV chargers ultimately boils down to network capacity. A consumer might purchase an EV without being informed that there’s not yet network capacity for home charging at their home address”.

This mismatch might, understandably, lead to some disgruntled consumers, but it’s a mismatch that breaking down data silos or isolated pockets of data can help solve. If data on network capacity is made available for EV charger installers and EV sellers to access, this can help manage expectations for EV owners and potential owners and optimise charger roll out.

Icebreaker One’s work with SSEN helped the DNO to access hundreds of datasets with just one round of authentication and technical integration. This improved access to data is helping them align grid capacity with demand from newly installed EV charge points. Better access to charge points means consumers will be more comfortable in making the switch to an EV, helping to reduce the carbon emissions stemming from ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles. 

Beyond EVs

The work between Icebreaker One and SSEN has now stretched beyond the EV market, with far-reaching benefits in areas such as renewable energy and domestic and commercial heat pumps. In our next instalment, we look at some of the tools that SSEN Distribution has built off the back of this work and delve deeper into data governance.

“Working with IB1 allowed us to see what our data journey looked like, and build the foundations of data governance. It helped massively, allowing us to communicate what we meant when talking about data sharing with our consumers and stakeholders. It’s also allowed us to build tools that are more suited to real world use cases.”

Now, in the lead-up to COP28, with a climate emergency on our hands, we want to reinforce this common thread, highlighting why our work is more pertinent than it has ever been. In order to achieve this, we’ll be revisiting past use cases. These demonstrate our action-led work, showing the potential impact better access to data can have, and its critical role in keeping us within the boundaries of the Paris Agreement. 

Shipping & Net Zero

Shipping plays a crucial role in the world’s economy, with 80% of the world’s merchandise trade transported by sea. However, the shipping industry was responsible for emitting 1.07 billion tonnes of CO2 in 2020, according to The International Maritime Organization (IMO), with this figure projected to surge by 130% by 2050. 

Navigating the murky waters of decarbonisation in the shipping industry has proven difficult. Not least because shipping was omitted from the Paris agreement in 2015, due to the difficulty in regulating ships, which were often owned by one country but registered with another. Following this, in 2018, the industry agreed to cut carbon in half by 2050 but these targets faced widespread criticism. Since then the IMO has revised its goal to net-zero emissions by or around 2050, as well as committing to an uptake of alternative zero or near-zero GHG fuels by 2030. Sadly, the vague language and absence of concrete targets indicate an uncertain future for the industry. 

Icebreaker One’s role

In partnership with Lloyds Register, Icebreaker One undertook a project aimed at giving initiators and investors an understanding of how data sharing and risk model changes can expedite zero-emission ship financing. Not only did Icebreaker One uncover a severe lack of open data during this research period but we also uncovered a significant level of uncertainty in regard to local government policies. Namely, information of future green fuels and a lack of visibility on available funding. 

Sheree Hellier, Lead researcher on the project states: ‘We interviewed a number of industry stakeholders to uncover what they perceive as the main challenges and opportunities for the decarbonisation of shipping. From a legacy-driven, fragmented industry to a lack of data sharing and transparency, the challenges are widespread. We explored how better access to data could drive investment in net zero shipping. Increased collaboration and transparency between major ship owners, particularly in regards to innovation and data sharing, underpinned our recommendations’.

Data to decarbonise 

The potential benefits of enhanced data can be found, first of all, within vessel supply chains. Parallels can be drawn with the built environment, where adopting a whole lifecycle view of the asset or in this case, a vessel, can prove instrumental. It does, however, require a deep understanding of the shipping industry’s complex supply chain, comprising numerous stakeholders, geographical locations and logistical challenges. But, better access to data could enable end-to-end visibility of the supply chain, meaning stakeholders are better able to track cargo, creating market efficiencies. This improved transparency also has the potential to build trust amongst consumers. 

Another potential avenue where data can accelerate decarbonisation in shipping is through Port grid connections. These aid the reduction of emissions while the ship is at berth, as well as providing power to those ships with batteries. With better, real-time data on vessel arrivals, departures and congestion, Port operators can optimise how they allocate power resources. Equally, shippers can plan their routes to be more energy efficient. Despite this, Icebreaker One discovered two key areas of contention with Port grid connections. The first being the disparity in infrastructure across Ports, with some lacking the funding and investment needed to provide the appropriate grid connection for vessels. The second issue is that some of the energy supplied by the grid is still derived from fossil fuels, undermining emission reduction efforts.

We have identified a lack of granular, real-time data as a common issue in many of the projects we work on. But, in the context of shipping, improvement in the granularity of data and more consistent metrics would enable stakeholders to fully assess their emissions and more accurately report their environmental performance, ensuring alignment with reporting frameworks. For example, under the IMO’s new certification scheme, all ships need to report energy efficiency and carbon intensity data, with ratings to be issued in 2024. For shipping companies, having the granular data to prove their commitment to decarbonisation may allow them to access debt instruments at preferential rates such as sustainability-linked loans. 

Developments

The lack of hard targets poses a real problem for the decarbonisation of the shipping industry, especially given the United Nations recently pitting the potential investment required to do so at $100 billion. What’s more, the industry is not accustomed to sharing data, in particular, not with the end consumer. Shipping companies often retain data internally due to the need for frequent negotiation of commercial contracts and the sensitivity of such information.

Yet, the Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) regulations (which will require ships to report on their energy efficiency from 2025) may serve as a catalyst. Enhanced data granularity holds the potential for shipping companies to prepare for impending regulations and align with net-zero goals, even if it requires a cultural shift in data sharing practices.

As we head toward COP28, the role of data in the shipping industry’s decarbonisation efforts remains more critical than ever. Data illuminates the path, providing transparency, accountability, and spurring innovation, vital components in our shared mission to combat climate change and reach net-zero. 

Now, in the lead up to COP28, with a climate emergency on our hands, we want to reinforce this common thread, highlighting why our work is more pertinent than it has ever been. In order to achieve this, we’ll be revisiting past use cases. These demonstrate our action led work, showing the potential impact better access to data can have, and its critical role in keeping us within the boundaries of the Paris Agreement. 

Electric Vehicles & Net Zero

Just one electric car on the roads can save an average 1.5 million grams of CO2 per year, according to EDF, demonstrating the value of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in helping the UK to meet its net-zero targets. And yet, if the UK government wants to reach its net-zero goals and fulfil its commitments to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars/vans from 2030*, there needs to be an uptick in demand for the adoption of EVs.

One of the biggest barriers for EV up-take is a perceived lack of infrastructure (according 57% of drivers). What’s more, 30% of households in the UK cannot install at-home electric vehicle charge points and forecasts suggest that at least 280,000 to 480,000 public charge points will be needed by 2030. This issue isn’t isolated to drivers either, as satisfying the demand for on-street charging poses a significant challenge for both local authorities and Distribution Network Operators (DNO’s). 

The integral role of data

So what is the potential power of data here? And what kind of problems can it solve? On a macro level, improved access to data will help the industry identify gaps, aiding the roll out of thousands more electric vehicle charge points across the UK. Dissecting this further, DNOs require data to understand the installation and utilisation of EV charge points. With better data, DNOs will be able to supply more useful insights to organisations looking to install charge points. What’s more, better data on the demand for EV’s will put pressure on local authorities to take action. This collective improvement has the potential to accelerate the UK’s chargepoint rollout, opening up the market and encouraging the adoption of EV’s across the UK.

Icebreaker One’s influence

Our Open Energy program aimed to assist DNOs in accessing the essential data needed to improve their services and accelerate the adoption of EV’s. The team identified a number of data points including but not limited to: information on public and domestic chargepoint locations, usage patterns, future installations and demand projections. These data points come from a variety of sources, namely: chargepoint operators, manufacturers, local authorities, and third-party data providers. 

Using Open Energy, a DNO would be able to access hundreds of datasets with just one round of authentication and technical integration.This improved and more cost-effective access to data would help make sure that grid capacity can meet the demand from newly installed EV charge points.

‘To ensure we are ready to service increasing numbers of fuse upgrades and potential network reinforcement where aggregate demand from EVs has the potential to exceed local network capacity, we require insight into potential and actual charge point installation and utilisation. The provision of data from a variety of stakeholders is key in this respect and the Open Energy programme has the potential to streamline processes to help meet this need and the challenge of delivering an electricity infrastructure that is fit for the future.’  Matt Webb, Head of Enterprise Data Management at UK Power Networks. 

Developments since the Open Energy use case

One year on from the Open Energy use case on electric vehicles, there has been progress at a governmental and regulatory level. And while the UK is said to be on track to meet the Government’s target of 300,000 new electric car chargers by 2030, a focus on data needs to be maintained in order to keep momentum and get us to net-zero. 

The UK government has recently published new regulations for public charge points aimed at improving the charging experience for EV drivers. Within these new regulations is a focus on open data with the Government stating that all public chargers will have to provide real-time information on their status for free, which will benefit mapping tools.
Elsewhere, in a recently published policy paper named ‘Charging Ahead: Using location data to boost local EV chargepoint rollout’. The Geospatial Commission has urged local authorities to make full use of location data in the rollout of charge points for electric vehicles (EVs). As a clear example of better data aiding the roll-out of charge points, the commission intends to help councils make decisions about where to install the charge points.

*On September 28, 2023, the UK government revised its plans with all new cars to be zero emission by 2035.

Throughout the 8-week long project, we co-developed and researched key problem statements, identified relevant stakeholders, and began to understand the challenges stakeholders face in the transition to decarbonise the shipping industry. At the end of the project, we brought together key stakeholders in an innovation workshop to highlight challenges and solutions based upon our research and stakeholder experience.

The workshop presented the findings of our research, exploring the problem statements of barriers for data sharing including industry fragmentation, transparency challenges, different adoption rates of retro-fitting and new technologies, governance and infrastructure limitations, safety risks, ship owners of varying fleet sizes still required to meet the same emission targets, and the difficulty of sector-wide collaboration. We then had an iterative brainstorm tackling those challenges. Participants considered the question:

“In order to accelerate the transition to net zero shipping, how do we facilitate collaboration within the industry?”

During this fast moving brainstorm we gathered as many ideas as possible for how to connect the industry together, identified key ideas which emerged, and generated one-sentence solution ideas. Key themes which emerged include:

• Data assurance is vital when using data to drive investment decisions
• Need more granular data and consistent metrics to fully assess emissions
• Fuel shifts are essential to decarbonise the industry in parallel with safety evaluations of new, alternative fuels
• Key benefits and cost savings for clustering innovations to enable scaling for market-wide impact
• Increase collaboration and informal data sharing amongst ship owners
• Having longer term contracts allows for investment confidence by innovators
• Total cost of ownership for technologies has to be considered
• Verification of reductions is a key feedback mechanism

LR has announced a new research project with Icebreaker One, an independent, non-profit organisation which aims to support the decarbonisation of shipping by influencing investment decisions with data.

The research will aim to help identify and amplify discussions around the key barriers that organisations face for net zero shipping investment and how to overcome these with a ‘net-zero data sharing ecosystem’ that encourages first movers to invest with data-driven rationale.

This project includes interviews and a creative workshop between key stakeholders at both organisations to investigate the potential data sharing has for the maritime energy transition.

By pooling resources, the project will see research with key stakeholders to propose and assess innovations in data sharing, data transparency and ways to best support shipping industry funders to make net zero investments. The project will consider the current available frameworks for assessing decarbonisation technologies and how data contributes to the outcome of these assessments.

Duncan Duffy, Global Head of Technology – Electro Technical Systems, Lloyd’s Register said: “Lloyd’s Register is excited to be involved in this research project with Icebreaker One which will underline the value in data sharing if the maritime industry is to achieve its decarbonisation goals.

“LR is a driving force in enabling and supporting shipping industry funders to make net zero investments and this research, along with its potential results, will encourage new processes and systems as tools in the energy transition journey. The project will equip LR with the knowledge and understanding of the barriers for investing in net zero shipping and enable us to offer effective solutions which address the crucial challenges our industry faces.”

Gavin Starks, CEO and Founder at Icebreaker One, Icebreaker One said: “To get to net zero, we have to finance the decarbonisation of shipping. This means maritime investors need access to trusted, accurate data. Our work with LR will help develop new processes and systems for sharing data that support the race to zero. We’re delighted to be working together to build a web of net-zero data for shipping.”

This research will encourage new processes and systems in the drive for zero emissions and further underlines LR’s commitment to the maritime energy transition, supporting the recent announcement of a Zero Ready Framework to provide the industry shipping with clarity over zero carbon readiness.

The findings from the research project will be presented in a workshop scheduled for early 2023. The workshop will be split into different sessions exploring identified the core challenges for data sharing in the shipping industry. Participants will then co-create and discuss solutions as a group.”

It is a starting point for net-zero data infrastructure built to address commercial, non-commercial, government and public needs. 

It’s designed to help make net-zero data discoverable, accessible and usable.

There is a lot of Open Data related to net zero (e.g. company disclosures) and we aim to make this far more discoverable than it is today. 

However, much of the data needed to drive net-zero decisions is not openly licensed or free for anyone to use. We aim to make this data more discoverable. To address restricted usage, we are building a Trust Framework for data sharing. This enables Shared Data to be discovered and licensed at scale. 

We are not building a ‘database’ of all the data. We are working with partners [see below] to enable all the data to be more discoverable using open standards. Ideally, anyone should be able to make their own search engine or build their own data lake based on these open standards.  

Net-zero data includes data across finance, agriculture, water, transport, energy and the built world. We propose all data be machine-readable and have open metadata to enable its discovery.

The web of net-zero data should be for everyone. To support this, we have created the Icebreaker Principles and encourage you to support them as well. Sign to endorse them today.

Who is Open Net Zero for? 

It is for everyone involved in our net zero future, whether working in the financial economy (e.g. sustainable finance, climate risk modelling, investors, auditors, asset managers), the real economy (e.g. sustainability leaders, engineers, analysts), government (policy) or the third-sector (e.g. NGOs, charities).

To enable access to data, the definition of the rules used to share it requires participation from diverse actors. Robust policies and standards can also support assurance and audit. Data owners need to be able to control who can access it in a manner that addresses commercial, legal and regulatory requirements.

Why do we need this? 

Accurate, trustworthy data that informs net-zero actions is essential to decision-makers across finance, industry, government and beyond. It will help derisk financial instruments, accelerate new technologies to market and enable monitoring against science-based targets.

The challenge

• Data does not effectively flow between organisations
• Instead of being connected and networked in an open ecosystem, data is siloed
• The ‘standard response’ from supranationals, countries, multinationals and companies is to ‘build a portal’

This is not a technology problem. It is not even a ‘data’ problem. It is a commercial, political, and cultural challenge. Open Net Zero is not a database, its aim is to support a functioning data ecosystem that connects, not collects. 

• Use open standards for data sharing 
• Address which data need to be shared, why, how, by and for whom
• Anchor around common rules that address user needs (search, access, use) 

An open market design helps unlock discovery (search), access (structure), and usage (licensing), for both Open Data and Shared Data.

1. Design for search: Making data discoverable means designing for search
2. Connect don’t collect: Accessibility requires addressing its structure and connectivity
3. Address user needs: Addressing its usability means addressing data licensing around use-cases

How can I get involved? 

1. Use it, and tell us what data you want and what data you have to share
   (nb: we don’t store your data, we make it discoverable)
2. Endorse the Icebreaker Principles 
3. Share with your peers 

If you’d like to learn more about the emerging net-zero data ecosystem in finance, see our briefing at https://ib1.org/2022/09/16/net-zero-disclosure-reporting-and-accounting/ 

Definitions

• Net Zero: https://ib1.org/net-zero/
• Net Zero Data: https://ib1.org/net-zero-data/
• Trust Framework: https://ib1.org/ib1-trust-framework-for-data-sharing/

Linked initiatives

• Carbon call
• Future of Sustainable Data Alliance (FoSDA)
• Climate Arc (workshop outputs)
• Bankers for Net Zero (UK All-party Parliamentary Group)
• Climate Action Data 2.0
• IB1 Constellation
• To illustrate the principle of connect don’t collect, Open Net Zero and https://data.subak.org are cross-indexing each other’s content, based on their own curatorial needs.

Preamble: “I recently rewatched The Imitation Game with my son and it made me wonder if we need a similar intervention to better address the vast challenges we face our energy digitalisation transformation. We need to get the best minds in the country to come together and join the dots properly. Currently that is falling between the cracks. How can we better use what we have to improve our security, resilience and lay foundations for innovation and growth” — Gavin Starks.

“The current situation facing the UK is not a question of security of gas supply, but of high gas prices set by international markets. The UK’s exposure to volatile global gas prices underscores the importance of our plan to generate more cheap, clean renewable energy and nuclear power in the UK to reduce our reliance on expensive fossil fuels”, https://gov.uk/government/news/russia-ukraine-and-uk-energy-factsheet

The issue is that addressing our energy security will take time, will not be addressed by this coming winter (2022-23) and may impact hitting our binding Net Zero targets. The new energy security strategy further underscores the importance of energy data to achieving national targets [link, link].

The challenge is to improve energy security in both supply and efficiency (reduction of consumption): to accelerate switching to a new energy mix; reducing energy use across the UK (domestic, public and commercial); to ensure economic stability and alleviate the cost-of-living crisis.  This needs a coordinated understanding of where energy is being used, where it can be reduced, and how this relates to network supply and distribution.  Current modelling, while advanced, does not have the right quantity, quality, diversity, granularity and time resolution to maximise the benefit for the whole system.  Industry, Government and consumers need better access to data and information to help reduce risk, increase efficiency and maximise resilience. 

The gap to better understanding of what options exist and what opportunities are realistic, is that there are many different systems and models across organisations that make secure, resilient and repeatable sharing of trusted data difficult. An opportunity exists to help ‘join the dots’ between organisations and initiatives, to accelerate the EDiT recommendations, to help increase our energy resilience and unlock rapid innovation. Convening around this challenge requires public and private sector collaboration, across sectors (e.g. heating, renewables, retrofit, EV). 

Understanding systemic options that could help address this

There will be issues regarding pricing, availability, flexibility and pressure on demand. To address this will require collaboration between the DNOs, energy supply and demand, better understanding of where there is demand vs flex. It will require coordination between government, industry and consumers to both reduce demand and increase production. The UK can probably cope through this summer into autumn. This period (3-6 months) can be used to prepare for Winter ‘22 where, under current conditions, it is exposed and at risk.

We propose a programme that will: 

1. In 2022, enable government and industry to understand the priority data gaps that stand in the way of addressing current exposure, and in delivering the energy strategy. 
2. Bring together expertise by convening relevant stakeholders in a coordinated, agile, time-bound and results-based programme;
3. Identify specific use cases that can deliver solutions that can be addressed through better data sharing, and could include where data could aid government and regulator decision making (through stakeholder engagement and research);
4. Identify the data and information needed (both presumed open data and secure data);
5. Build reusable data infrastructure (including that which requires higher security levels) needed for the data sharing to take place in a trusted framework (e.g. Open Energy);
6. Analyse and report on Open Energy’s data sensitivity classes so that the work can be repeated, replicated and scaled across related sectors (eg. electric vehicles, water);
7. Benchmark current practices and report on improvements, evidence and outcomes that support decision-making and institutional memory, aligned with the national interest. 

Who is involved and why 

Icebreaker One is an independent, non-partisan non-profit making data work harder to deliver net zero. Its team is uniquely skilled in convening public and private sector actors, with decades of experience creating incentives for corporate collaboration and shaping public and private data governance, at global, national and local levels. It sees the opportunity to increase energy security and accelerate climate finance to achieve demonstrable Net Zero outcomes. It has developed Open Energy as a non-profit service and is working across the energy and EV sectors to create open marketplaces for data. 

Our network includes over 60 organisations across the energy sector that have been actively involved in the development of Open Energy.

If you would like to get in touch about this idea, or Open Energy in general, please contact openenergy@ib1.org

Throughout the 8-week long project, we co-developed and researched a priority use case, identified relevant stakeholders, key datasets, and began to understand the challenges stakeholders face in sharing data for the chosen use case. At the end of the project, we brought together key stakeholders in a one-day innovation workshop to highlight innovations and ways to solve the challenges identified in research.

The use case co-developed through this project faces the challenge that more than 30% of households in the UK cannot install at-home EV chargepoints. This highlights the importance of affordable, public, and nearby on-street charging which requires local authorities to deliver this infrastructure in a timely, efficient, equitable and cost-effective way. 

The innovation workshop was held online to ensure representation from across the United Kingdom, and had representatives from local authorities, chargepoint operators, distribution network operators, and stakeholders specialising in the electric vehicle sector. The workshop split into five different sessions, each exploring those stakeholders’ different points of view, potential challenges, and solutions for the use case. Each session had a briefing session delving into the research for each stakeholder, then a group breakout discussion to discuss challenges and solutions in a smaller group setting. 

Toward the end of the day, there was a voting process to prioritise all of the proposed solutions so far, the top 8 solutions included:

1. Local authorities and the UK government need to target financial aid at lower revenue regions to allow equity in on-street charging access across the UK. 
2. Local authorities need to incorporate strategic planning, such as multimodal planning and identifying on-street chargepoints in locations at the intersection of different transportation modes (trains, buses, taxis, car shares).
3. Hold forums at the local and national level to promote collaboration and to allow for currently siloed stakeholders to convene to share and understand best practices.
4. Promote proactive engagement between chargepoint operators, suppliers, distribution network operators, and local authorities. Such as having a model to which stakeholders can feed in desired chargepoint locations, constraints and capacities to allow stakeholders to check relevance then contact the appropriate stakeholders for tenders and contracts. 
5. Develop a policy and strategy template kit to assist local authorities to plan for and develop chargepoint plans to avoid reinventing the wheel, and allow best practices to be collated. 
6. Have one central place where distribution network operator data and other relevant electric vehicle data are available and accessible by all stakeholders. Often local authorities do not know the sources of data available, and one central place would make it easier. 
7. Upskill local authorities with the technical skills to make use of and translate data as needed when developing on-street chargepoint plans. 
8. The UK should require operators to be Open with their data to be easily accessible by local authorities. 

These proposed solutions are the culmination of the Icebreaking process, convening stakeholders to unpack a collaboratively agreed use case. This ensures the solutions are focussed on the real challenges stakeholders face in their work. By culminating in an innovation workshop, stakeholders are able to come together to collaborate and prioritise solutions to solve the challenge at hand. 

The research, insight, and solutions developed through the innovation workshop are now being incorporated into the future work of the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles and the Department of Transportation. 

Head of the Department for Transport’s Office of Zero Emission Vehicles, Natasha Robinson, said: “Data is at the heart of achieving our vision for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, and is central to policy decision-making at all levels of Government. 

“To support local authority planning and help EV drivers navigate the charging landscape, Government will be regulating later in 2022 to open public EV chargepoint data. Our technical work to open this data is already underway, and we look forward to working with Icebreaker One to ensure that the data needed by the energy sector is made available to help EV drivers plan their journey and charge with ease.”

If you want to get in touch, you can contact us at icebreaking@ib1.org. 

Icebreaker One is working with the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, part of the Department for Transport, on a project to explore the data infrastructure needed to roll out more electrical vehicle charge points. We spoke to Natasha Robinson, Joint Head of OZEV, about where data sharing fits into their plans to get more electric vehicles on the road.

Why is the UK moving towards electric vehicles? 

NR: We’re moving towards electric vehicles because of climate change, air quality, and energy security. 

All studies suggest that even on our current grid mix, and taking into account the whole life of the vehicles, electric vehicles have around a third of the emissions of traditional petrol or diesel-powered engines. That will only improve as the grid decarbonises, so they’ll get cleaner in use. Air quality is more of a mixed picture, but electric vehicles have a positive impact on reducing NOx emissions which are a key pollutant.  

From a driver’s point of view, we want this to be a good experience. For an increasing number of people going electric is already a better option than traditional cars.

Although there are higher upfront costs right now, running costs are far lower. For more and more people that cost equation is working. As we get more electric vehicles on the roads, that will follow through into the second-hand market, which is where the majority of people buy their vehicles, meaning there’ll be more cars available at more accessible prices. And if you can charge overnight at home, which around 70% of us can potentially do, you can leave the house with a full battery.

They also offer a great driving experience – like driving as you imagined when you were a kid, with instant acceleration and simple controls. For example, my brother in law isn’t a keen driver because he’s worried about stalling. You can’t stall an electric vehicle. It’s ideal for people who just want to get from A to B.

What are you working on at the moment to improve the experience for electric vehicle drivers? 

NR: On infrastructure, one of the biggest challenges is how you provide chargepoints to people who don’t have off street parking, or who live in a flat. We need to work out how to address that – for example, rapid or on-street charge points nearby. Different solutions are likely to be right for different places

One of the other challenges we’re working on is long distance journeys. Most vehicles have ranges of more than 200 miles which will cover the vast majority of people’s day to day journeys, but there will be times when people want to go further and they expect to be able to do that easily. Take a bank holiday, where people are more likely to travel to see family and will need to charge more away from home. We’re working on getting more charging capacity into motorway service stations, and we’ve set up a Rapid Charging Fund and a Local EV Infrastructure Fund to make sure that charge points are there wherever people need them.  

We’re also working on regulation to make sure the experience for drivers is as good as it can be. We’ve already brought in regulation to make sure all new private chargepoints are smart, and that all new homes have a charger as standard. Next, we’re looking to make sure chargepoints have open access to card and contactless payments, and are completely reliable – we’re looking for 99% reliability for all rapid charge points. Finally, we’re setting new rules to make sure that chargepoints meet accessibility standards so everyone can use them. 

What’s the role of data access in making all of this happen? 

NR: One of the big challenges we’ve seen so far is understanding the patterns of drivers’ demand: where people are parking, how they’re using their vehicles, when and how they’re charging them. Industry and local authorities need better data access to look at energy capacity and grid reinforcement that’s required to put chargepoints where people actually need them. We need to be able to understand where the hotspots of demand are all across the country to meet that demand. 

That is essential for the private motorist, but also for commercial fleets. Making sure that local authorities can easily access the data that helps them predict demand in their area will make sure they understand need, and can make sure charge point supply meets demand. 

Read: how Open Energy can help get electric vehicles on the road 

The other thing better data access can do is give drivers much more of the information they need. If we can make it easier for businesses and local authorities to share data with each other securely and easily, we can get useful data to the public too – for example, where charge points are, what speed they are, how much they cost, whether they’re accessible, and how they can pay for charging. 

We want individuals, businesses, local authorities and central government to have the information that they need at their fingertips so they can have confidence in the transition we’re making as a country to electric vehicles. There’s a future where your car could tell you it’s running low on energy, then suggest a location nearby and tell you whether it’s available. That’s actually a better experience than refuelling at a petrol station is now. None of that will be possible – the charge point nearby, the location information, the availability information – without the data sharing that underpins it. 

Read: How Icebreaker One and OZEV agreed a priority use case

Why did you decide to work in partnership with Icebreaker One on improving data access? 

NR: We wanted to understand more about what’s possible in improving data sharing – looking at user needs in depth with an organisation with an established process. 

Read: Icebreaker One partners with OZEV to roll out more EV charge points 

We want to build expertise and export that to other areas. That’s not just about cars and batteries – it’s also about the systems behind it. There are countless international counterparts who are having the same problems.

This is an international transition and we want to be a leader in this space. There are huge opportunities for the UK in electric vehicles – environmental, industrial and consumer – and levelling up our ability to find, access and share data underpins it all. 

Read: Use case report – electric vehicle on-street chargepoints

This document is open for comment, click here for the report.

This use case report is part of the outputs from a partnership between Icebreaker One and the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV). The project aims to close the data gaps required to roll out thousands more electric vehicle charge points across the UK by working together with industry to identify the data infrastructure needed to roll out more charge points.

Use case summary: More than 30% of households in the UK cannot install at-home electric vehicle chargepoints, highlighting the importance of affordable and nearby on-street charging. But how can local authorities deliver this infrastructure in a timely, efficient, equitable and cost-effective way, ensuring ‘location optimisation’? We explore how data can help the dilemmas that arise from the huge challenge of satisfying the coming demand for on-street charging.

The UK is investing £100M’s to revolutionise its energy infrastructure, to help us get to Net Zero and adapt to huge changes in energy supply (e.g. renewable energy) and demand (e.g. vehicles).  

Since 2020, Icebreaker One has operated and co-developed Open Energy with industry and government stakeholders. Open Energy’s mission is to make it easy for any organisation in the UK to search, access and securely share energy data. It provides the infrastructure for data sharing, including powerful Energy Search, financial-grade security, and (coming soon!) easy access control for commercial data. All these efforts are underpinned by our Trust Framework for data sharing. 

These services are designed in collaboration with industry Advisory Groups and a sector Steering Group, in which we define codes of practice for the programme and the sector.

Icebreaker One is looking to understand where our current members and network have interest in participating in Advisory Groups. 

Open Energy — Advisory Groups 

The Open Energy Advisory Groups convene and combine individual expertise to help understand how the UK may better modernise energy data access. They are overseen by the Open Energy Steering Group. 

There are a few possible Advisory Groups which could be formed to further develop Open Energy. If there is an Advisory Group you’d like to see in the future that isn’t reflected below, please also let us know via the form. 

Please register your interest in participating in the following groups to identify which should be formed.

The groups we are proposing are: 

Data Licensing Advisory Group

The aim of the Data Licensing Advisory group is to develop the standard licences that are required to allow Shared Data to flow through Open Energy Access Control, in alignment with the Data Sensitivity classes. This will include key policies, such as conditions for participation, roles and responsibilities. The outputs of this group will be the necessary licences and requirements for a functioning Access Control. 

We are seeking individuals with the following knowledge or experience: 

• Legal professionals, especially those with energy data and/or other data licensing expertise
• Energy data providers who are familiar with or wish to share their data under a shared data licence through Open Energy
• Data consumers, startups and innovators
• In-house data governance and compliance
• Information security, with a focus on data sharing 
• Digital and data transformation Data policy analysts
• Open data licensing, open source and content licensing – specifically to understand lessons that have been learnt in this area and, where applicable how they may apply to shared licensing

Metadata Standards Advisory Group

The aim of the Metadata Standards Advisory Group is to agree to the metadata standards for publishing data to Open Energy. Further to the Energy Data Visualisation Project (EDVP) recommendation to “continue the development and evolution of EDVP” this advisory group recognises the need for industry collaboration, co-design, and feedback of a metadata standard for publishing energy data. This advisory group will inform the development of Energy Search for organisations to search, publish, and share data through Open Energy. 

We are seeking individuals with the following knowledge or experience: 

• Energy data owners or providers
• Energy data consumers, including startups
• Data analysts: in particular those responsible for finding and utilising data within the energy or policymaking
• Data and/or metadata publishing and maintenance
• Experience in managing data catalogues
• Data managers
• Experience and knowledge of open data
• Experience of CKAN
• Experience with standard systems, processes and technologies used in the energy industry
• Policy and compliance

We are considering piloting Open Energy Working Groups, as a chance to operationalise particular use cases which have come up in the development of Open Energy thus far. 

Energy Security and Resilience Working Group

The aim of the Energy Security and Resilience Working group is to proactively address this winter’s energy security in supply, demand and efficiency (reduction of consumption) domains. Although the recent British Energy Security Strategy sets out future policy direction and targets, many of these developments will not be addressed in time for this coming winter (2022-23) and may impact hitting our binding Net Zero targets.

Improve energy security in supply, demand and efficiency include: accelerating the switch to a new energy mix; reducing energy use across the UK (domestic, public and commercial); smartly scheduling moveable demand where possible to reduce peaks; and ensuring economic stability while the cost-of-living crisis. To achieve this, there needs to be a coordinated understanding of where energy is being used, where it can be reduced or shifted, and how this relates to network supply and distribution.  Current modelling, while advanced, does not have the right quantity, quality, diversity, granularity and time resolution to maximise the benefit for the whole system.  Industry, Government and consumers need better access to data and information to help reduce risk, increase efficiency and maximise resilience. 

We are seeking individuals from the following organisations, with the knowledge or experience of : 

• Energy generation, transmission and distribution
• Renewable energy
• Micro and community energy generation
• Cyber security
• Economics
• Public policy
• Geo-politics
• Consumer energy suppliers 
• Ofgem
• Consumer Advocacy
• Fuel poverty and associated vulnerabilities (e.g. health, disability, young families, older residents etc.)

Public Electric Vehicle Working Group

The aim of the Electric Vehicle Working Group is to operationalise the use case developed through the Office of Zero Emission Vehicles’ Icebreaking Process. The use case faces the challenge of more than 30% of households in the UK cannot install at-home EV chargepoints. This highlights the importance of affordable, public, and nearby on-street charging which requires local authorities to deliver this infrastructure in a timely, efficient, equitable and cost-effective way. This working group will be working to explore and operationalise how data can help the dilemmas that arise from the huge challenge of satisfying the coming demand for on-street charging.

We are seeking individuals from the following organisations, with the knowledge or experience of : 

• Chargepoint operators
• Chargepoint manufacturers
• Electricity transmission operators
• Consultancies that offer services in the EV space 
• Connections departments of DNOs
• Local Authority Energy and Electric Vehicle planners
• Transportation authorities

Fleet Electrification Working Group

The aim of this group will be to analyse the operational, technical, legal, licensing, and policy considerations for commercial vehicle electrification. This group will comprise a collective of people from organisations to whom the EV use case applies and who are focused on operationalising/showing the end-to-end delivery of it.

We are seeking individuals from the following organisations, with the knowledge or experience of : 

• Fleet and industrial vehicle operators/business owners
• Chargepoint operators
• Chargepoint manufacturers
• Electricity transmission operators
• Consultancies that offer services in the EV space 
• Connections departments of DNOs
• Local Authority Energy and Electric Vehicle planners
• Transportation authorities

Residential Heat Working Group

The aim of the Heat Working Group is to operationalise the Future of Heating use case developed through the August 2021-February 2022 Pilot Phase of Open Energy. The use case focuses on a new residential housing developer who will no longer be able to install gas-based solutions, but needs to be able to properly equip properties for heating needs without placing unsustainable demands on the grid while still being in line with regulatory requirements. This working group analyses the operational, technical, legal, licensing, and policy considerations when accessing the data required to analyse the optimal combination of up-front costs and reduction in grid connections.

We are seeking individuals from the following organisations, with the knowledge or experience of : 

• Residential property developers, responsible for making decisions about low-carbon heating installations in new developments
• DNOs, responsible for determining grid headroom and capacity for new developments
• Low carbon heating manufacturers and service providers, particularly those producing smart components and/or using data to drive product and service development
• Mechanical and electrical engineers, responsible for decision-making of low-carbon heating installations and their operation
• Local authorities – for example, those in planning departments responsible for implementing local policies 
• Architects and other consultants, responsible for decision-making of low-carbon heating installations 
• Citizens Advice, representing consumers
• Insurance companies, specifically individuals who require further information around the cover offered in the eventuality of complex incidents such as flooding and storm damage to assets that might be installed as a consequence of reducing grid connection requirements.

Have we missed something? Let us know via the form.

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If you’d like to be a part of the Open Energy community where you can get regular updates, please sign up to our newsletter. 

Please get in touch with us at openenergy@ib1.org if you have any questions.

To enable this, OZEV needs to understand the data requirements and current data challenges. These include data sharing between Distribution Network Operators (DNOs), local authorities and chargepoint operators. 

Icebreaker One held a workshop on March 28th with stakeholders from OZEV, Department of Transport, chargepoint operators, distribution network operators and local authorities to discuss and collaboratively agree on a priority use case topic to understand the datasets, challenges, and barriers stakeholders face in sharing EV data. 

The priority use case topic agreed following discussion and voting by workshop participants is: 

Local authorities want to be able to better plan on-street charging for those with no access to at-home chargepoints. 

The options we considered

Prior to the meeting, the IB1 research team drafted a long-list of over 40 use cases through a literature review of existing reports and news relating to the EV infrastructure, and interviews with key stakeholders. Then, those use cases were narrowed down to 16, then to a top 4 use case shortlist  through internal input and a vote by key representatives from OZEV. In the workshop, participants had a chance to read, understand and discuss the top 4 finalist use cases:

1. Chargepoint operators want to identify the optimal locations for chargepoint installations
2. Local authorities want to identify gaps in chargepoint infrastructure that is or will be served by commercial operators 
3. Chargepoint manufacturers want to better understand network flexibility requirements/need for demand management so they can build functionality into their products
4. Local authorities want to be able to better plan on-street charging for those with no access to at-home chargepoints

After discussing the use cases, participants had a chance to vote for the use case to take forward to better understand the datasets, challenges and barriers stakeholders face in sharing EV data. 

About this use case

The use case that received the most votes was option 4, looking at how to use data to enable local authorities to better plan on-street EV charging for those with no access to at-home chargepoints.  

This use case tackles the challenge of 30% households in the UK having no access to off-street parking. This use case could map the spatial distribution of these households and assess options for installation of on-street/alternative charging options (e.g. via lamp-posts, charging bollards etc, as well as destination charging, charging hubs, potentially workplace charging) and includes the distribution of private/shared infrastructure and smart charging options. 

This use case supports findings from a recent CMA consultation which found EV drivers could save around £100 per year if they had access to on-street (preferably smart) charging instead of using rapid charging via public chargepoints. Furthermore, using slower and smart charging options increases battery life, reducing EV churn and battery waste. This may have additional secondary benefits by increasing the reliability and longevity of the second-hand EV market due to improved battery life and charge retention (particularly in the absence of national standards for car dealers to assess and publicise this during sales).

Getting involved

The next step in this project will be to further flesh out this use case and build a fuller understanding of the stakeholders, potential datasets, benefits of enabling the use case, barriers to implementation, and challenges of interoperability for the use case. 

This will be done through further desk research and stakeholder interviews, if you think you may have information relating to this use case, please contact us at openenergy@ib1.org. 

Up to 14 million electric vehicles are expected to be on the road by 2030, driven by the phase-out of new petrol and diesel engines from 2030 – a key part of the UK’s net zero strategy.

To address that challenge, the Department for Transport, Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, and Icebreaker One will work together to identify the data infrastructure needed to roll out more charge points.

Access to robust, reliable data

This means the UK will need to roll out thousands more charge points to meet demand – but an installation effort of this scale requires access to robust, reliable data to understand consumer demand and electrical network capacity. 

The partnership will bring together a coalition of industry stakeholders, regulators and decision-makers to support OZEV’s work to open public EV chargepoint data and improve consumer experience. Its ultimate goal will be to develop a data infrastructure for EV charge points that can unlock cost efficiencies, innovation, and help deliver a net-zero future. 

Making it easy to search, access and securely share energy data

The partnership is part of Icebreaker One’s Open Energy programme, which is designed to make it easy to search, access and securely share energy data. Backed by Ofgem and the UK Government, it will bring together data held by thousands of individual organisations and institutions in an open marketplace. 

Currently in its pilot stage, the Open Energy service is being developed based on use cases – like the need to access energy data to install EV charge points – that are designed to address real-world problems put forward by industry stakeholders. 

Gavin Starks, CEO and Founder of Icebreaker One said:

“Electric vehicles are a vital part of the UK’s journey to net zero. Anyone who drives an EV knows that there aren’t yet enough charging stations – what’s less well-known is that rolling out charge points relies on connecting data across organisations. 

“Open Energy enables trusted connections for organisations who need to search, access, and securely share data to install, access and use charge points. We’re delighted to be working with the Department for Transport and Office for Zero Emission Vehicles on a project that will help the UK transform our transport system.”

Open Energy, a service that makes it easy to search, access and securely share energy data is being developed based on use cases. Taking this use case approach helps ensure the Open Energy service is  designed to address real-world problems put forward by industry stakeholders. 

The third use case from Open Energy’s Pilot phase focuses on the future of heating in the UK. It will illustrate how data sharing can support developers of new residential properties to install low-carbon heating systems that meet regulatory requirements in a cost-effective way. 

Government strategy means that, by 2025, all new homes will be banned from installing gas and oil boilers and will instead need to be heated by low-carbon alternatives that are less familiar and, in many cases, are likely to place higher demands on the electricity network. Residential property developers will therefore need to think more holistically about how to meet the heating energy demands of their developments. 

In the wake of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee’s report – Decarbonising heat in homes – which highlighted the scale, complexity, and cost of the challenge, the focus of our third use case is particularly timely. 

However, as is often the case with anything worth doing, we hit a few road bumps along the journey to this outcome. 

The starting point for our third use case

In Autumn 2021, members of the Open Energy Steering and Advisory Groups, including representatives from government, regulators, consumer bodies, trade associations and industry, identified potential areas of focus for new use cases. Broad areas considered during this process included electricity supply flexibility, electric vehicles (EVs), fuel poverty, heat pumps, smart meter adoption rates, and the transition away from domestic gas boilers/heating.

Following input from Advisory and Steering Group members, Icebreaker One prioritised flexibility in the energy market (or ‘flex’), as the key area of focus for the development of our third use case. 

The challenge with focusing on a theme, rather than a problem

However, flex as a theme proved challenging to pin down to a specific use case, for two key reasons. 

1. It is a very broad theme, with flexibility arguably having a key role to play across multiple facets of the energy ecosystem. 
2. Flexibility in the energy market, and how it can be delivered and managed, is still in the early stages of development. Thus, it has been challenging to identify real-world problems that better data access could help solve now (or in the near future). 

As an example of the latter challenge, one problem statement considered for development into a use case was as follows:

‘A flexible asset operator wants the ability to offer its available flexibility into the different markets for flexibility (ESO, DNO/DSO, wholesale suppliers, potentially peer-to-peer sales), and needs access to relevant data so it can sell its assets more effectively to those that need them.’

However, following discussion with key stakeholders, it became clear that a number of potential markets for the sale of flexibility are under development, or not yet in existence, and further work needs to be done around the regulatory and legal restrictions of managing such services in an evolving market. 

Thus, while it is certain that this is a problem that needs solving, the obstacles to progress are much bigger than data sharing alone can currently solve – though this may not always be the case.  

A slight shift in approach

A change in focus was needed. So, Icebreaker One pivoted its approach to consider the real-world issues that stakeholders in the energy industry are facing now and in the near future, and that the Open Energy service could help address.  

The future of heating leapt to the forefront, given the ban on the installation on gas and oil boilers in new properties is only three years away. The electrification of heating will place higher demands on the electricity network, and more complex modelling will be required to ensure regulatory requirements are met while keeping pressure on the network to a minimum.  

For residential property developers, this will involve not only establishing the most appropriate heating equipment for the location and property types, but also how demands on the grid can be managed through the installation of superior insulation, renewable sources of energy and – bringing us full circle to our original focus – equipment and systems to support flexibility. 

In this complex ecosystem, data will be key to working out the best solutions.

Open Energy’s third use case problem statement

Icebreaker One has therefore prioritised the problem statement behind our third use case as follows: 

‘A new residential housing developer (or an Mechanical & Electrical contractor operating on its behalf) wants to know how to reduce grid reliance and minimise grid connection requirements when building and kitting out new housing developments with energy technology (both the heating technologies themselves and renewable/flex resources that could reduce grid reliance) while still being in line with regulatory requirements. 

‘It needs data to be able to analyse the optimal combination of up-front costs vs reduction in grid connection in terms of overall cost of development.’

How can Icebreaker One’s Open Energy programme help?

Open Energy will make it easy for stakeholders across the industry to search, access and securely share energy data. This data can be open or shared (such as access being restricted to specific Data Consumers and/or requiring payment for accessing the data). 

Its service will enable residential developers (or those operating on their behalf) to understand the data available to help them plan the best heating solutions for their development, and to access and licence this data in a more streamlined manner. This will help property developers to:

• Use the data to analyse options and establish the most cost-effective solution
• Ensure their properties are sustainably developed in a way that is compliant with regulatory requirements around decarbonisation and keeps demands on the electricity network to a minimum. 

Help us develop this use case and make Open Energy a reality

Open Energy’s use cases are designed to demonstrate the value of the Open Energy programme and to catalyse innovation, by illustrating how better, more streamlined access to energy data can support specific industry needs based on focused, real-world problems.

To fully develop this use case, and help ensure it addresses the needs and concerns of potential Data Consumers and Data Providers, we would welcome feedback on:

• The opportunities and benefits this use case presents
• The challenges of implementation
• The data required for implementation (including any specific, known datasets, whether open or shared).

If you have insights that could help us develop this use case, whether you’re a potential Data Consumer or Data Provider, please email openenergy@ib1.org.

Get involved with Open Energy

• 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 Icebreaker One newsletter

But the UK’s EV-charging infrastructure is currently inadequate to support this. The need for access to data to support the rollout of a charging infrastructure to enable a surge in EVs has never been clearer.

Icebreaker One’s Open Energy programme is designed to make it easy to search, access and securely share energy data. Backed by Ofgem and the UK Government, it will bring together data held by thousands of individual organisations and institutions in an open marketplace.

Currently in its Pilot stage, the Open Energy service is being developed based on use cases that are designed to address real-world problems put forward by industry stakeholders. 

Icebreaker One has consulted people across government, regulators, consumer bodies, trade associations and industry to develop a new Open Energy Use Case focused on EVs. It explores the value of better data sharing, and ensures the development of Open Energy is focused on user needs.

Comments are welcome and help us shape our work.

Read the Open Energy Electric Vehicle Use Case

Get involved

• Become a member of Open Energy to use our Pilot service
• Join our Advisory Groups to help shape the future of the Open Energy service
• Join Icebreaker One, which develops and operates Open Energy, as a supporter
• Sign up to the Open Energy newsletter
• Email the team for anything else

The two groups are composed of 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 January meetings.

Membership & Delivery

The group discussed:

• Potential barriers stakeholder face when deciding to sign up to become a member of Open Energy
• An update on how Open Energy is progressing
• The communications effort focussed around winning support for Open Energy with key stakeholders including DNOs, government, SMEs and innovators and how these messages can be improved to be more persuasive
• Progress on the use case prioritisation process occurring in the User Needs Advisory Group
• An update on the membership contracting and website terms and conditions
• A review of Open Energy’s DPIA, record of processing, and privacy notice
• What the Open Energy tech team has been doing, including: operational monitoring, data set entry, adding OE Search and discovery to analyst’s tools, and analyst user journeys being prototyped in Jupyter Notebook

Still under discussion: 

• What other tools should we be looking at for Open Energy integration?
• We are looking for Open Energy customers to help us shape the product proposition and user experience ideally with people in these roles) CTO, DNO Developer, Startup Developer, and Consultant. If you are interested, please email us at openenergy@ib1.org.

User Needs

The group discussed:

• How to make the user needs and use case prioritisation process repeatable with further use cases and maintain stakeholder engagement
• An update on how Open Energy is progressing
• Prioritising the two potential use cases to explore next, including:
  • a flexibility asset builder would like to know where to build assets and of what type to ensure a return on investment and 
  • a mechanical and electrical contractor wants to know how to reduce grid reliance and grid connection requirements for new housing developments. 
• An update on the progressing electric vehicle (EV) use case 
• The communications effort focussed around winning support for Open Energy with key stakeholders including DNOs, government, SMEs and innovators and how these messages can be improved to be more persuasive

Still under discussion: 

• Feedback on the two presented use cases to take forward 
• Any final feedback on the EV use case ahead of official documentation 

Steering Group

In this session, the Steering Group discussed

• Reflections from 2021 on what we have learned throughout the last year of Open Energy
• Challenges we are facing on aspects which are lacking, barriers to success, and how to overcome them
• The road forward for market engagement
• Refining messaging for with our communications team
• The achievements and progress for the Membership & Delivery Advisory Group
• The achievements and progress for the User Needs Advisory Group

Advisory and Steering Group membership applications have closed, if you’d like to sign up to be a part of the community review track, click here or email openenergy@ib1.org. 

Icebreaker One’s Open Energy programme is designed to make it easy to search, access and securely share energy data. Backed by Ofgem and the UK Government, it will bring together data held by thousands of individual organisations and institutions in an open marketplace. Currently in its pilot stage, the Open Energy service is being developed based on use cases that are designed to address real-world problems put forward by industry stakeholders. 

One use case currently in development is focused on how Open Energy will help electrical network and system operators meet the evolving and growing needs of EV users. We’ve conducted detailed interviews with the people on the front line of making this happen – here’s what we know so far.

Why the UK needs more EV charging points

The switch from conventionally-fuelled to emission-free vehicles forms a core part of the UK government’s Net Zero strategy, with the sale of new petrol and diesel (internal combustion engine, or ICE) cars to be banned by 2030. The reason for this is clear; transport produced 27% of the UK’s total emissions in 2019. The ban on the sale of new ICE cars, combined with lower running costs for EVs and an anticipated drop in up-front EV prices, means we can expect an explosion in EVs on the road over the coming years. 

But, as anyone who drives an EV knows, our EV charging infrastructure is inadequate. Not every household is in a position to install its own charge point, and even those that are will sometimes make use of public chargers. The UK government estimates that, by 2030, the country will need around 400,000 public charging points. But, as of December 2021, according to ZapMap, there are fewer than 30,000 public charging devices. This is a massive ramp up, and doesn’t even take into account the anticipated rise in installation of home EV charge points. 

In itself, the need for an exponential increase in charge points is a massive logistical challenge. But what’s arguably an even greater challenge is the capacity of our electricity network to cope with the rising demands placed on it. 

What’s standing in the way

Central to the task of ensuring that demands placed on the grid by the rising uptake of EVs are the UK’s Distribution Network Operators (DNOs). Their connection departments are responsible for processing and managing requests to the grid for electricity in the here and now, as well as forecasting future capacity requirements so that they can prioritise where to invest in greater capacity.

They need to know when and where charge points will be installed (domestic, public, commercial and industrial), the nature of these charge points (slow, rapid, ultrarapid, for example), and how they are utilised. But there is currently no mandatory registration of installations, with data having to be pulled from multiple sources. Data on utilisation of different types of charge point and plans for future installations is even more patchy and problematic to access. Concerns from those that hold the data may include reservations about access control, and whether their data is in a format that is suitable for sharing.

These challenges with data access make it inefficient and challenging for DNOs to plan for likely capacity requirements. This is only going to become trickier as EV uptake accelerates, potentially resulting in a too-slow rollout of charge points. 

Matt Webb, Head of Enterprise Data Management at UK Power Networks, told us:

‘The likely future demand on the electricity network that will be created through the accelerating uptake of EVs poses a significant challenge for network operators. We are faced with the need to meet customer and stakeholder expectations through the facilitation of timely connection of all forms of EV charging infrastructure while maintaining continuity and quality of electricity supply at lowest possible cost to the customer.

‘To ensure we are ready to service increasing numbers of fuse upgrades and potential network reinforcement where aggregate demand from EVs has the potential to exceed local network capacity, we require insight into potential and actual charge point installation and utilisation. The provision of data from a variety of stakeholders is key in this respect and the Open Energy programme has the potential to streamline processes to help meet this need and the challenge of delivering an electricity infrastructure that is fit for the future.’   

Matt Webb, Head of Enterprise Data Management at UK Power Networks

How Open Energy helps 

Open Energy makes data sharing simpler by automating data licensing, security checks, and technical integration. It can work with organisations that hold the data needed by DNOs, bringing it together into a one-stop shop with appropriate security and access controls, and in a consistent format. Using Open Energy, a DNO will vastly improve its access to the data they need to help make sure that grid capacity can meet the demand from newly installed EV charge points. They will be able to access this information more quickly and cost-effectively than ever before. They will be able to access hundreds of datasets with just one round of authentication and technical integration. 

In turn, it will allow DNOs to collaborate more effectively with other industry stakeholders. As well as accessing others’ data, DNOs can publish their own data securely, safe in the knowledge that only authenticated users can access it. It means no need to agree to a unique set of terms and conditions every time someone requests your data. Agree to Open Energy rules and policies once, and they’ll be applied automatically every time data is shared. 

Ultimately, better access to data via the Open Energy programme will help break down silos and ensure that an increase in the number of EVs – and EV charging points – does not place unsustainable demands on our energy resources. This will, in turn, help ensure that the UK is able to meet its ambitious targets for EV ownership by 2030 and beyond. 

Get involved

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

Photo credit: Precious Madubuike on Unsplash

Background

As part of the Modernising Energy Data Access (MEDA) competition, a core use case was developed to demonstrate the benefits of an Open Energy Search and Access Control. This focused around a Local Authority looking to understand the impact of retrofitting Low Carbon Technologies and Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points across a large estate. 

As part of our user needs-based approach, two further use cases are being developed. These will further develop the value of better data access: making energy data more robust, shareable, and easily accessible, and outlining the benefits of the Open Energy approach to stakeholders across the market.

Use case prioritisation process

Step 1

Members of the Open Energy Steering and Advisory Groups, including representatives from government, regulators, consumer bodies, trade associations and industry, identified potential areas of focus for new use cases.

Broad areas were considered during this process, including flexibility, electric vehicles (EVs), fuel poverty, heat pumps, smart meter adoption rates, and the transition away from gas boilers/heating.

Step 2

Following prioritisation discussions with the Steering and Advisory Groups, focus was narrowed to two candidates: 

• Electric Vehicles (EVs)
  The switch from conventionally-fuelled to emission-free vehicles forms a core part of the UK government’s Net Zero strategy, with the adoption of EVs expected to increase at an exponential rate over the next decade. To support this uptake, it is essential that a comprehensive charging infrastructure is in place. New legislation requiring all new building developments to have EV charging points will contribute to this.
  
  However, as it stands, it’s felt that the grid lacks enough capacity and/or flexibility to support the anticipated increase in electricity demand as a result of the mass adoption of EVs. Better, and better access to, data will help ensure that an increase in the number of EVs – and EV charging points – does not place unsustainable demands on our energy resources. Our EV use case will explore this opportunity through the lens of a specific stakeholder, map the data value chain required and engage with actors within it.

• Flexibility (‘flex’)
  The way the UK sources its energy is continuing to evolve away from the certainty of electricity supplied by a relatively small number of large power stations, to the distributed energy supply of multiple low-carbon technologies. The ability of these distributed resources to supply electricity at given times of day or year is more variable and less linear and the costs of managing this variability are high. In parallel,  customer demand patterns are changing as the UK electrifies its heating, transport, and related areas. This will require a move to a far more flexible system – in both supply and demand. As with EVs, our flex use case will demonstrate how Energy Search and Access Control could support this flexibility, from the perspective of a particular stakeholder (for example, a flexible asset owner), map the data value chain required, and engage with actors within it.

Step 3

Members of the Steering and Advisory Groups have put forward specific problem statements in each of these areas that improved access to energy data could help address. Over the period from December 2021 to February 2022, the Open Energy programme will work with stakeholders in each of these priority areas to detail the specific use cases for development, with a view to publication by the end of February 2022. 

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

Where: Archive below

Full Video:

Slides:

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What:

The UK is investing £100M’s to revolutionise its energy infrastructure, to help us get to Net Zero and adapt to huge changes in energy supply and demand, ranging from connecting more renewables to charging our electric vehicles. 

Having recently completed Beta under the MEDA programme, Icebreaker One is launching a Pilot phase of Open Energy, running from October 2021 to February 2022. We’re now inviting applications to the Open Energy Advisory Groups to help steer this emerging national energy data infrastructure.

In this one hour webinar hosted by Icebreaker One Founder and CEO Gavin Starks, we’ll let you know what to expect from this next stage of the Open Energy programme and how you and/or your organisation can get involved.

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

Open Energy has been supported in part with UK Government funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and BEIS.