Open Energy in the UK – Icebreaker One

What is Open Energy?

Open Energy, which IB1 initiated in 2020, describes the overall process of data sharing Scheme definitions, their operation using the Open Energy Trust Framework, and their governance using Steering, Advisory and Working Groups.

Governance: https://ib1.org/sops/governance-schemes
Scheme: https://ib1.org/definitions/scheme
Trust Framework: https://ib1.org/definitions/trust-framework

Energy Systems Catapult (who authored the Digital Spine report), in collaboration with Ovo Energy, Clean energy retail: The role of energy retailers in the net zero transition states:
“The regulator should mandate Open Energy as an industry-wide data sharing mechanism. Open Energy has, via a competition run by government, created a service that enables trusted actors to share data in a consistent way across the energy value chain. Mandating this solution would accelerate its adoption and make consistent an approach, reducing costs and barriers to entry.” (page 20)

What does it enable?

Open Energy makes it easy to search (via https://openenergy.org.uk), discover, access, securely share and use energy data using a Trust Framework. It covers both Open Data, commercial Shared Data with pre-authorised access controls, and commercial Shared Data where access requires control. It enables

Governance: a process to co-define rules through collaborative, multi-stakeholder engagement.

Schemes: Licences and Protocols are codified rules of the market (legal, technical, rights, liability, communication, and policies) that can be implemented in the market using a Trust Framework.

Trust: Verification/Assurance tests to what levels an organisation, or its datasets, are compliant with the rules as implemented via the Trust Framework.

Note that data always flows from a data supplier (e.g. meter data) to a data user (e.g. application). It never goes via the Trust Framework. Open Energy helps members agree how they wish to share data by verifying they have agreed to the rules. Open Net Zero is a search engine (a catalogue, not a data store) to aid data discovery across sectors and markets, https://openenergy.org.uk is a ‘view on’ on that catalogue for the energy sector.

Example: Shared Data with Permission (‘Consent’ in a consumer context)

The process is identical for assurable Open Data, or pre-authorised/agreed Shared Data, and just removes the “explicit permission” layer.

Icebreaking — collaborative design and governance of the rules

Icebreaking brings together domain experts across the ecosystem, including large and small companies, regulated and unregulated actors, and the public sector, into Industry Advisory Groups and a Sector Steering Group to help govern, and shape the development of its services. Trust Framework Services include Search and Access Control, co-designed through the Icebreaking process.

Click for

https://openenergy.org.uk search & discovery services
news and updates

Open Energy is part of Icebreaker One’s solutions to bring together data governance and enable data sharing across industry (e.g. water), finance and the environment.

Outputs & reports

Open Energy – reports & outputs

Summary

The easy way to find, use and securely share energy data

Open Energy allows you to find and use data. It streamlines data access and secure data sharing, while automating compliance processes. Distribution network operators, startups, researchers, and stakeholders across industry can drive efficiencies and innovation with the Open Energy approach. Open Energy is funded by public and private sector, and operated by Icebreaker One, an independent non-profit making data work harder to deliver net zero.

Francis Maude at COP26:

To watch the whole keynote click here section.

If you have any questions, please get in touch at openenergy@ib1.org.

Background: About energy’s digital revolution

Energy generation and supply are core to everything we do. However, damage to the environment and changes in the ways energy is created and used means that all over the world £billions are being invested in modernising energy systems.

What’s changing?

We used to generate all our electricity in the UK from a few big power stations. These fed into the national grid to make sure there was enough electricity for everyone, but not too much so that things don’t explode. This energy feeds homes and businesses, hospitals and schools.

We will have millions of things generating electricity (e.g. solar panels, wind turbines), so the job of getting it all balanced properly across our national grid gets really complicated. Some of these are in the sea (wind turbines) and some are in our homes (e.g. solar panels).

At the same time, we are electrifying all of our transport (cars, buses, trains, trucks), so not only millions of homes and businesses will use electricity but millions of vehicles too. A big chunk of our national electricity will be driving around.

It’s complicated

We need to make sure that the lights stay on and we need all the energy used to be green. This means millions of things talking to millions of other things to make sure that the energy flows in the right amount, at the right time, with the right people getting paid. It needs to be safe and reliable, affordable and simple.

It’s all about the data

At the heart of this energy revolution is data. Data and software will be needed to build systems that can continuously automate balancing supply and demand. With millions of systems, our infrastructure will have to ‘self-heal’ (e.g. a hospital’s lights need to keep on even if it’s cloudy).

It’s all about open

To enable all these millions of systems to talk to each other (all the time), they will need to be open in different ways. Some will need to be open to access and control by each other (but not by you!), others may need to be open to your street so that everyone can work out if they should put in another solar panel. We use ‘openness’ in this context to cover both openness to access and share (where payment or control may be needed), as well as open licensing (where things are free for anyone to access, use and share).

It’s about you?

Over the coming years, we need a whole generation of people working on making sure that our energy systems work for everyone, and don’t destroy the planet. Is this you?