If you’ve ever wondered how easy it is to integrate with Perseus, Lexanor recently found out. They went from new members to being integrated with the Perseus sandbox, in just one afternoon. All we had to do was share a link to the documentation website along with the core Trust Framework, and let them do the rest. 

This reinforces our belief that becoming ‘Perseus-ready’ should be quick and easy. This is by design, because integration isn’t just a technical exercise. It’s the route to market.

Being Perseus-ready means Lexanor has external validation that they’re ready to provide quality, reliable data. They can also demonstrate to financial service providers that their technology is ready to work within the scheme, reducing friction and opening the door to new commercial relationships. 

In practice this could mean:

• access to more FSP relationships
• less friction when engaging prospective customers
• being able to demonstrate that their technology is already compatible
• getting ahead of competitors

David Geddes, Director of CO2 Target and Lexanor explains:

“Working through the Perseus process has provided a practical way to demonstrate permissioned access to energy data within a trusted framework. We were able to get a working sandbox demonstrator up and running quickly, making the process tangible for our team.

For Lexanor, the longer-term value is the ability to receive data from approved energy data providers and produce carbon reports with clear provenance. This can give property teams and financial service providers a stronger evidence base for decisions about building assets and decarbonisation investment.” 

Making integration easier, for people and AI

Lexanor’s experience also demonstrates another important feature of Perseus: it’s designed to be interoperable, by people and by machines. But, AI is only as useful as the instructions it has to work from. When systems are clearly defined, consistently structured and machine-readable, AI can interpret them and help developers build against them much more quickly.

Because Perseus uses machine-readable standards to describe how the scheme works, Lexanor were able to utilise AI confidently, making the process even more seamless. They used AI-assisted coding, with the AI able to read the human readable and the machine definitive documents in the registry, and understand it 

So, what are you waiting for? 

We wanted to see whether an organisation that hadn’t previously participated in Perseus could get itself ready to integrate using the documentation and sandbox alone. Lexanor passed the test, and you can too.

If you’re already involved with Perseus, why not try integrating with the sandbox and see how quickly you can become Perseus-ready?

If you’re not yet a member, join here and you could be Perseus-ready in one afternoon. Get in touch at perseus@ib1.org and we’ll show you exactly how.

Lexanor was set up by David Geddes through CO2 target and ‘acts as a single source of truth for your estate, giving teams the asset intelligence they need to prioritise investment, support compliance, and make informed Net Zero decisions.’ 

Check out their demonstration of readiness here: https://perseus-ready.co2targettracking.co.uk/

“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.”

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

About this webinar

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

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

It covers:

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

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