Please note that throughout this consultation, Icebreaker One uses the terms Open, Shared and Closed data as defined here.

If you have any questions about our submission or require clarifications please do not hesitate to contact us via policy@ib1.org.

Consultation response:

Regarding paragraph 3.36 in the Statutory Consultation on the RIIO-3 Licence Drafting modifications – reasons and effects document:

Generally IB1 supports a common Digitalisation Re-opener to encourage digitalisation by allowing network companies to seek funding for data and digital related projects with a broader scope than just IT hardware or software upgrades and to align with RIIO-ED2.

IB1 supports digitalisation as key for energy sector decarbonisation, and required for the investment in flex services and the coordination between sectors who rely on energy to meet their decarbonisation targets (water, transportation, built environment, industry).

IB1 supports sector-wide convening and governance to ensure digitalisation happens in a coordinated manner and can enable ‘whole system solutions,’ as promoted in RIIO-ED2 and realise the subsequent cost savings. IB1 supports Ofgem to continue to promote and finance whole system digitalisation coordination in RIIO-ED3.

As there are many ongoing data sharing and data governance initiatives e.g. consumer consent solution, flexibility services, Data Sharing Infrastructure (DSI), which are currently in progress at different stages of development (definition, prototype, or pilot). Ofgem should not expect these programmes and underlying challenges the projects aim to solve to be resolved by the end of RIIO-ED3 (2031). Data sharing and data governance needs and subsequent solutions will evolve over time as we continue to electrify and connect the UK’s grid. As mentioned above, Ofgem needs to ensure ongoing governance and sector collaboration on data and digitalisation – reinforcement of this would be welcomed in addition to specific plans to expand/evolve data governance initiatives.

With the progress of the Data Sharing Infrastructure (DSI) programme, IB1 anticipates ‘Shared Data’ sharing will evolve and will inform the evolution of data best practice (DBP) guidance. In particular, as data sharing scales, the need to standardise and harmonise legal and technical approaches will become more pressing in order not to slow innovation and add unnecessary cost. IB1 recommends that DBP should include guidance around Shared Data within the triage processes and licensing decisions, highlighting the role of Shared Data Schemes to provide definitions that aid interoperability and maximise impact.

Please note that throughout this consultation, Icebreaker One uses the terms Open, Shared and Closed data as defined here.

If you have any questions about our submission or require clarifications please do not hesitate to contact us via policy@ib1.org. We have omitted questions which we did not answer.

Consultation response:

Do you agree with the proposed implementation approach? Yes.

Rationale: We appreciate that there is a governance in place to discuss and approve the proposed implementation. We would welcome further transparency on the outcomes of applications to access data via this method and suggest that a summary of cases are made openly available after a 6-12 month trial period. Ongoing avenues for scrutiny remain important.

Please provide any further comments you may have.

As we are looking holistically at the smart meter data landscape, we will continue to work with the SEC and engage as it develops on a case by case basis and impacts wider use cases.

SME decarbonisation depends on better data

Accurate Scope 2 emissions data—the indirect emissions from purchased electricity—sit at the heart of SME decarbonisation and green financing decisions. But most Scope 2 calculations rely on crude annual accounting that masks the reality of how electricity grids actually work.

What’s more, electricity demand and renewable generation don’t align neatly across a calendar year – they shift hour by hour. An SME might be using an energy tariff that’s marketed as “100% renewable” on an annual basis while consuming fossil fuel power during winter evenings when solar isn’t generating. That gap matters for real decarbonisation, and it matters for lenders assessing genuine progress toward Net Zero.

Making clean power visible

Matched Energy is an independent, not-for-profit energy transparency initiative. It analyses publicly available data using a peer-reviewed methodology to calculate how well renewable supply aligns with consumption on a half-hourly basis—the finest granularity supported by UK electricity settlement systems.

Their groundbreaking Clean Power Index published on October 27th, puts vital information in the hands of consumers. The index underscores the need for regulatory reform of the existing opaque rules that allow suppliers to make misleading “100% renewable” marketing claims.

This level of precision transforms Scope 2 accounting from an annual figure into something actionable: SMEs can see when they’re actually getting clean power, and lenders can assess the physical reality behind carbon claims.

Open Energy & Perseus

Open Energy is creating a connected web of energy data while Perseus is automating sustainability reporting for UK SMEs in order to unlock access to green finance. At its core, Perseus makes it easy to share accurate, assurable emissions data that sits behind carbon calculations—enabling better analysis, action and impact.

Through this collaboration half-hourly renewable matching data will be integrated with carbon accounting platforms and other interested parties across the ecosystem. It will enable SMEs and their stakeholders to access more granular, assurable data about electricity consumption and its true carbon intensity.

By connecting Matched Energy’s temporal analysis to Perseus’s data infrastructure, we’re creating pathways for carbon accountants, lenders, and corporate energy buyers to make better-informed decisions based on the physical reality of the grid.

“The result of this collaboration is more reliable emissions reporting, better decarbonisation decisions, and stronger foundations for green finance. The data infrastructure already exists—what’s needed is the connection between the systems that hold it. Open Energy is building that connection and we’re pleased to have Matched Energy as part of that effort”. Gavin Starks, CEO, IB1

During March’s meeting, there was a reaffirmation of the shared commitment to Open Energy’s vision, mission and values. The importance of cross-industry collaboration, and coordinating efforts between members to accelerate progress, was emphasized. Discussions highlighted the critical role of governance-driven programs in ensuring trust, transparency, and interoperability and explored some of the key current regulatory developments, including the Smart Data Scheme Call for Evidence and the earlier Consumer Consent consultation.

With strong foundations in place, Open Energy is well-positioned to deliver impact in 2025.

Key Insights:

• It was noted that members were reminded of the vision, mission and values of Open Energy
  • Vision: A connected web of energy data for an efficient, decentralised, net zero future
  • Mission: Deliver robust, scalable data governance that convenes experts to identify, co-design and implement trusted data sharing Schemes for Open and Shared Data
  • Values: 
    • Empowering
    • Open
    • Sustainable
• The high-level plan for 2025 was shared and members were asked for their endorsement. It was noted that: 
  • Targets focus on building community and creating schemes. 
  • The objective is to prioritise a use case and co-author a bid.
  • The desire is to make a market-wide scheme which has been designed and signed off on collaboratively

• The plan was well-received and agreed to have a strong approach
• It was noted that value will come with adoption, with the cross-collaboration that is already starting to happen signalling this
• There was discussion around CP2030, focusing in on both DESNZ’s Energy Smart Data Scheme call for evidence, and Ofgem’s Consumer Consent consultation
  • It was noted that governance driven programmes play a key role in arriving at interoperable systems, with trust and transparency central to this
  • It was noted that data is key to driving decision-making and reaching a liquid flexibility market 
  • The importance of speeding up the delivery of existing work and coordinating these programmes was noted 

The next meeting will be held 13th May 2025.

The future of our digital economy is based on data interoperability   

Regarding data, today is the ‘simplest’ the landscape will be. We have, and will continue to, see huge economic and social value generated from the utilisation of data. 

Data are being generated from web-based, industrial and financial systems, from our built world and our environment. To fully exploit its value, we need to connect data to those who need it. We need to reduce the friction of finding, accessing, and using both commercial and non-commercial data to enable better decision-making, analysis and insights that can help citizens, businesses and government unlock value.

A key attribute of smart data is that it is everywhere. In designing systems fit for a web-enabled era, it is essential to address data governance as a distinct area of work from its  ‘utilisation’.

This isn’t a problem that needs new technology. Many attempts to consolidate data—new databases and portals—struggle to scale. Our economic and infrastructure systems are being digitalized in a decentralised and distributed way.

There is no ‘centre’ in a system like this: we need to connect data, not collect it. 

Trust Frameworks enable this by setting the rules of the road and addressing risks and concerns that prevent the sharing and use of data. To unlock the market architecture for trusted and secure data sharing requires an open, standards-based approach. 

A Trust Framework is a very thin layer to enable market actors to agree on the rules of the game. An implementation entity for a Trust Framework can (a) assure organisations are who they say they are; (b) ensure alignment around pre-agreed rules (e.g. licensing, consent, liability, technical and non-technical areas); and (c) enable and facilitate monitoring, enforcement and modes of redress aligned with those rules.

To enable pre-authorised access to data, Trust Frameworks include verification and assurance services for organisations who wish to share, access and use data. For the avoidance of doubt, Trust Frameworks do not replace other forms of data aggregation and management and, indeed, they can act to enable them. 

The UK has led the world in the creation of such frameworks, through Open Banking (which is regulated in the UK and has been copied in over 80 countries) and Open Energy (which is in development, part-funded by industry and government).  

An open market design for data must ensure that such markets are: 

1. Cohesive — common rules across markets 
2. Interoperable — common processes, frameworks, connections
3. Legal — common frameworks for data rights, liability, redress
4. Controlled — common, rights-based consent management for access to data
5. Universal — open to the whole market

Five core principles for the underpinning data infrastructure include; that:

1. Trusted data is essential to our digital future.
   Accurate, trustworthy data that informs action is essential to decision-makers across society, industry and government. It helps derisk decisions, accelerates new solutions to market and enables transparent monitoring against targets. 
2. Access to data must be open
   Data must be made discoverable and accessible to those who need it.  To unlock public and private sector benefits, the ability to effectively share data (using Open or Shared licenses) across sectors is essential. It includes both the real economy and the financial economy. Data must be machine-readable, and have open metadata to enable its discovery.
3. Rules for data sharing should address public and private sector needs
   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.
4. Data infrastructure must be governed openly and independently
   To maintain an open market, data infrastructure must include public and private sector actors in its design, implementation and enforcement. A market-neutral body is a preferred approach to developing such data infrastructure and will include remits of data governance, policy, licensing, technical and operational principles. This infrastructure needs to be developed, and iterated upon, at a pace that is relevant to the urgency of the issues being tackled. Both its processes, and outputs related to its implementation, should be openly licenced.
5. Data infrastructure requires mandates for engagement
   To close data gaps as rapidly as possible and address the public interest, Governments and regulators should define rules for access to specific data, mandate participation and drive adoption. Similarly, industry initiatives can define rules for specific industry benefit, and act as catalysts to adoption. Common policies and open standards must create mandates for machine-readable data, data access processes, access control and mechanisms for enforcement that unlock data flow. 

If you would like to learn more, please get in touch partners@ib1.org

To endorse these principles for net zero data, please sign the https://ib1.org/icebreaker-principles.

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

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

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

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

A panel of experts gathered to discuss the emerging pressures and priorities for DNOs and the wider energy system, in Icebreaker One’s January webinar hosted by Open Engagement Manager, Vichi Chandra.

“We can’t talk about anything happening in the energy market without thinking about the current context of rising gas prices, the current cost of living crisis, and what that means to people” says Dhara Vyas, Deputy Director, Energy UK. “High prices are – rightly – driving the media narrative right now and that has meant a significant shift away from the UK leading the way on decarbonisation and net zero, to the current cost of living crisis which impacts on everyone. 

“However, I think there is a significant, real concern that this should not mean we put the brakes on our journey to achieve a net zero system. It’s really important that we think about this in the context of the consumer.”

Matt Webb, Head of Enterprise Data Management, UK Power Networks highlighted the role of DNOs in making this happen: 

“We need to accelerate the connection of low carbon technologies and maximise their use in order to contribute to net zero ambitions. At the same time, we must maintain our core role of ensuring the continuity and quality of energy supply. We cannot lose sight of the fact that we need to keep the lights on”.

Matt Webb, UK Power Networks

A period of transformation

January’s Energy Digitalisation Taskforce report made a number of key recommendations detailing what is required to deliver a digitalised and decarbonised energy system.

“One that stood out to me was the call to embed a culture of digitalisation and I think that’s really important”, said Dhara.

“It’s essential that companies across the market are planning for a digital system when it comes to building the right skills and investing in digital assets and activities. DNOs are of course a vital part of that infrastructure, and the networks in fact have a much better understanding of the state of the system than perhaps a lot of other parts of the sector; so it’s vital that they share that across the market in order to help us build the system of the future”

Dhara Vyas, Energy UK

It’s a viewpoint shared by Matt. “Digital transformation is as much about culture, behaviours and ways of working. And that’s where we as a sector need to shift to be more open and collaborative. We talk about interoperability a great deal; and that’s about how we align and standardise and facilitate communication and interaction between the different players in this ecosystem. 

“The RIIO ED2 business plans that we as DNOs have published in recent months, go into significant detail about how we plan to invest and develop our digital capabilities over the coming years, right the way through until 2028. We find ourselves at a really pivotal and important point in terms of how we meet this ongoing challenge, and ultimately deliver the interoperable energy system of the future that we are all aiming for”.

The shift that is required of DNOs, and the wider energy system as a whole, is significant. As Matt explains, “in normal terms, what a DNO is and does, is quite monolithic. And all of a sudden, to find yourself in a central, facilitating role is a big change to make. Traditional network operation entails fairly passive and predictable systems, and we’re now moving into – and are in the midst of – a far more dynamic environment. We need to help facilitate new forms of service, service providers and business models; increasing competition and consumer choice as well as supporting a flexibility first approach”.

How Open Energy can help

Open Energy is a service that makes it easy to search, access and securely share energy data. It covers the full spectrum of data; all the way from open data to really hard to access, commercially sensitive shared data, where access control is important. The Open Energy service currently includes search and access control, co-designed over the last 18+ months by industry, for industry, with support from and engagement with BEIS, InnovateUK and Ofgem (who sit as an observer on the Open Energy Steering Board).

Gavin Starks, Founder and CEO of Icebreaker One, states:

“The approach that we’ve taken with IB1 and the development of Open Energy has been to ask what are the market design principles for data sharing that can scale to whole markets, and across sectors? This has led the teams to understand how to reduce the friction, and connect data between organisations, without insisting that anyone has to put their data in a particular place. Secure data exchanges are made possible by the adoption of open standards and a shared data infrastructure that underpins cohesion and interoperability across the market.

Gavin Starks, Icebreaker One

“What we’ve been focussing on is the really valuable information that tends not to be Open – and in many cases can’t be Open. As soon as you need a set of rules around that, there needs to be a set of legal contracts and a set of processes whereby the control around who can access what recommendations, when, and so on, can be codified. There’s a lot of work there on how we can give that Access Control to the people who hold the data. 

“Whether or not that’s a business-to-business context or whether it’s a consumer context; the mode of consent, the process of consent management, and rights assignment to the data are all miles away from what organisations are used to thinking about and dealing with. So there’s a massive amount of work to be done in helping to understand the problems that everybody’s trying to solve, both in terms of infrastructure, but also in understanding what the rules are and how we can bring people together so that we end up with an open marketplace”.

What are the opportunities here for DNOs?

Matt says: “When it comes to data, commerciality is certainly one of those factors we need to think about, and we need to be cognisant of the fact that we work in an increasingly competitive market. However, we need to recognize that we are part of an ecosystem now where that commercial data is key. The key to that is us working collaboratively and trying to establish the common processes and practices that make sure that we’re making consistent decisions.” 

Dhara agrees that a whole-system approach is needed: “we have identified all the pieces of the puzzle but now we need to put them together”.

“It’s not just about DNOs but everyone in the sector; the challenge is manifold” adds Gavin. “Leadership needs to come from various different points of the system – government and market leaders – and a lot of the innovation will come naturally from large organisations and smaller start-ups. The question is: how can we do all that together? 

“What we’ve tried to create here with the Open Energy programme is space for that to happen. So ultimately we’re here to help bring people together, have the right conversations and really focus on where that business value is and how that interlinks with the overall data strategy; both for individual organisations and for the sector as a whole”.

Get involved

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

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

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

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

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

We believe this will: 

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

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

Archive video:

What:

Recent developments at COP26 showed that data access is at the heart of our plans to get to net zero. This means organisations will need to prepare to accelerate plans for data sharing and data publishing. 

In our next 30 minute webinar, we’ll be exploring what COP26 announcements mean for businesses and their data, and what changes can be expected in the years to come.

We’ll discuss our main takeaways from COP26, and the actions that you can take now to ensure your data and digitalisation strategies will support the shift to Net Zero.

Speakers:

• Gavin Starks, Founder and CEO, Icebreaker One (Chair)
• Lee Wilson, Product Owner – Data & Analytics, ScottishPower
• Lucy Yu, CEO, Centre for Net Zero
• Ronan Palmer, Head of Clean Economy Programme, E3G

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.

All terms used in the blog are defined in the glossary here. All policies will also be published in the Phase 3 operational guidelines (forthcoming end July 2021). For any questions stemming from this blog, or materials within, please contact openenergy@ib1.org.

Data Sensitivity Classes

Open Energy facilitates sharing of a wide variety of data types, with varied levels of sensitivity. In order to handle this complexity, and to ensure data is appropriately protected, Open Energy has developed a system of data sensitivity classification. This policy details five Open Energy data sensitivity classes, graded across three dimensions of sensitivity: personal, commercial, and security. They are designed to complement Ofgem’s Data Best Practice guidance, by adding nuance to how Data Providers can classify types of Shared data.

Consultation during policy development informed a range of changes including:

• Reducing the number of classes from 6 to 5,
• Improving descriptions and example data types provided for each class; and
• Updating guidance regarding the classification of aggregated and anonymised personal data.

Details of public consultation feedback, and Open Energy’s responses, can be found here. A copy of the updated policy can be found here.

Data Access Conditions

Once Data Providers have allocated their datasets to appropriate sensitivity classes, they will then specify the access conditions for each dataset. To encourage the creation of  access conditions that are fair and proportionate to the dataset’s sensitivity profile, data sensitivity classes will be used as a guiding basis for considering access conditions, though not a complete determinant. As such, we define a standardised range of access condition types that Data Providers can associate with a particular dataset. This acknowledges the need for more nuance than would be captured under a ‘one size fits all’ approach for each sensitivity class, while still enabling standardisation of condition types. The policy focuses on access conditions for classes OE-SA and OE-SB only as personal data (OE-SP) are out of scope for Open Energy Phase 3. 

Consultation during policy development informed a range of adaptations including:

• Dividing group-based access conditions into externally defined and self defined types;
• Tightening the scope of use case-based access conditions to promote clarity and fairness; and
• Removing purpose-based access conditions to reflect coverage of these conditions elsewhere in ways that reduce implementation difficulties.

Details of public consultation feedback, and Open Energy’s responses, can be found here. A copy of the updated policy can be found here.

Data Licensing 

This represents the final step of the journey that Data Providers must take in order to ready their datasets for sharing via Open Energy. It consists of two parts: creating access rules, then associating the grant of a set of capabilities and obligations with each rule to form the license. Our model proposes a system whereby access and capability grants are determined, for each request to a Data Provider’s API, on the basis of a set of rules defined and published by that Data Provider. This is different from the single licensing model that is commonly used in the sector, whereby one license is produced to cover all circumstances of the dataset’s use. It also responds to industry feedback regarding problems with the length and complexity of single licenses, which can increase cost, friction and risk associated with data use. By contrast, the Open Energy model permits reasonable multiple licensing within a set of transparent, standardised parameters that enable each license to be significantly simplified. 

Consultation during policy development informed a range of changes including:

• Sharpening the descriptions of certain capabilities; 
• Confirming use of the ‘data pyramid’ to support the definition of different levels of onward sharing permissions; and
• Honing a set of clarifications provided with the policy to support understanding.

Details of public consultation feedback, and Open Energy’s responses, can be found here. A copy of the updated policy can be found here.

What’s next? 

In the next phase of development, Open Energy will produce guidance and tooling designed to support Data Providers to comply with Open Energy policies. We aim for this to build trust and fairness in the ecosystem, while making it as easy as possible for Data Providers to get up and running. The next phase of the project will also explore policy development around dispute resolution and we expect to hold a further public consultation on this topic in due course.

Who:

• Gea Mikic, Programme Manager, Icebreaker One (Chair)
• Miles Cheetham, Data Infrastructure Lead, Icebreaker One
• Chris Turner, Technical Architect at PassivSystems
• Tom Oinn, Information Architect, Icebreaker One
• Kasia Kulma, Data Scientist, Icebreaker One

What:

Open Energy has been designed for the energy sector by the energy sector. It will enable an open marketplace to make it easier to find, access and share energy data, helping unlock efficiency and innovation throughout the ecosystem. Through collaboration and open standards, Open Energy members can engage in the development of the services and standards to enable their data strategies and enable both commercial and open data sharing.

For data suppliers, Open Energy helps increase the addressable market for commercial and open data.

For data consumers, Open Energy provides efficient access to both commercial and open data.

In this half-hour webinar, we’ll show how organisations can engage in the future of energy data sharing in the UK. The Icebreaker One team will demonstrate how to integrate directly with Open Energy systems, help you understand what is needed to make your organisation market-ready, and hear about the onboarding experience of users through the beta programme.

Open Energy won UK Government backing and funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and BEIS.

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

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

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

Membership

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

Concluded this month:

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

Still under discussion:

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

Delivery

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

Concluded this month:

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

Still under discussion:

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

Steering Group

The Steering Group met to discuss two key priorities:

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

Actions from the May meeting:

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

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

What kinds of organisations are you looking for?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What it means to be a beta tester

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

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

For more information on what we are building see:

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

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

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

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

Membership

Approved this month:

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

Still in discussion:

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

Delivery

Approved this month:

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

Still in discussion:

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

Steering Group

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

Actions from the April meeting:

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

Join us as a beta tester organisation

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

You can watch a recording of the webinar here:

Want to hear more? Contact us via email (openenergy@ib1.org) or apply to join Open Energy as a beta tester [applications close 1800 BST on 21 May].

When: 17 May 2021, 11.30am-12pm BST

Where: Online, archive below

Who:

• Gea Mikic, Programme Manager, Icebreaker One (Chair)
• Kasia Kulma, Data Scientist, Icebreaker One
• Tolu Oladimeji, Data Governance & Strategy Lead, SSE
• Danae Marshall, Senior Policy Advisor, BEIS (Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy)

What:

Open Energy is a new service that will enable people in the UK’s energy ecosystem to seamlessly search for, share and access shared data in an easy, secure way. It will develop a trusted ecosystem of data providers and energy data service providers, helping the sector drive towards Net Zero and resolving current challenges around opening up datasets.

This half-hour event will lay out what Open Energy will mean for data providers:

• Improving the quality and standard of your data
• Meeting your strategic targets and compliance obligations
• Engaging with stakeholders in the energy supply chains
• Enhancing your company profile and visibility of your services

The team will answer questions from the audience and share information on how to join Open Energy as a beta tester.

Open Energy won UK Government backing and funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

We urgently need to take action to mitigate climate change. While there is clearly a need for bold leadership, no single organisation or sector can act entirely in isolation. Energy is a complex, interconnected system – bringing with it risks of unintended consequences and of significant inertia. Closed datasets impede the coordination and collaboration we desperately need, prolonging the status quo and locking out new entrants and insights.

At the Centre for Net Zero, our mission is to realise faster, fairer and more affordable paths to net zero. At the heart of our work is a not-for-profit Open Research Lab. We lead groundbreaking global research on the biggest questions in the energy transition, and make our data, models and reports freely available for everyone to understand, challenge and build on.

One of the questions we’re exploring is how the structure of our energy markets can support the transition to net zero. In order to make sensible changes to the way that our energy markets work, we need to think about the whole system – identifying impacts and feedback loops that might not be intuitive. Data is one of the essential ingredients to this, but no one party has all the data they need to think about the system as a whole. Relatedly, a key part of our mission is supporting the fairness of the energy transition. Access to wider datasets helps protect against implicit biases within the data we work with, and safeguard against unintended impacts on particular parts of society.

The Open Energy programme offers exciting new possibilities for thinking about the energy system in a more joined up way. At the moment it’s hard to imagine the impact of new policies or market structures because it’s hard to track how people, markets and physical systems all interact. But underpinned by shared data, it’s possible to stitch together real-world measurements and models of the various parts of the energy system to create what’s called a Digital Twin. 

With that, we can start to ask insightful questions about what we might do to change the rules of the system. For example, what if we were to dramatically cut the cost of adopting heat pumps, or make unit energy costs reflect the dynamic utilisation of the local network, or introduce a new way to reward electric vehicles for the flexibility they offer. Answering any one of these questions requires data from across the energy system (and beyond) – from the physical networks and assets through to the way we expect individuals and businesses to behave. Making it easier to share, discover and link data are the first steps along that path.

“[Our] new modelling strategy will increase transparency and collaboration. This will improve our insights and increase confidence in policy.” UK Government’s Energy White Paper, December 2020

The benefits to our net-zero transition could be enormous. There is great potential to underpin broader and more productive research collaborations. I see a growing number of passionate and intelligent people coming to this mission, and an urgent need to find effective ways for them to contribute and collaborate. I also believe there is a real opportunity for the UK to establish a leadership position around energy data, which can facilitate change on a global scale.

For the Centre for Net Zero this means the opportunity for greater impact – through richer analysis for policy makers, business leaders and investors, which in turn allows them to make bolder decisions about their role in the transition.

About the Centre for Net Zero

Backed by Octopus Energy, the Centre for Net Zero is an Open Research Lab focused on the energy transition and working closely with governments, cities, investors and businesses around the world to get us to net zero quickly, fairly and affordably. Find out more at CentreForNetZero.org.

About Icebreaker One

Icebreaker One is a UK-based non-profit making data work harder to deliver net-zero, working across agriculture, energy, transport, water and the built world. Its Open Energy project aims to revolutionise the way energy data is shared in the UK and create an energy data ecosystem that works for everyone. More information at IcebreakerOne.org

We heard firsthand from Rosie McGlynn at PassivSystems – our first beta user of the service – about her own experience of using the product. You can watch a recording of the webinar here:

Want to hear more? Register to find out how to become an Open Energy member.

When: 19 April 2021 – 2pm-2.30pm BST

Where: Online, sign up via Eventbrite

Who:

• Gea Mikic, Programme Manager, Icebreaker One (Chair)
• Emily Judson, Research Associate – Open Energy, Icebreaker One
• Frank Wales, Product Innovation Lead, Icebreaker One 
• Rosie McGlynn, Senior Programme Manager, PassivSystems, the first Beta user of Open Energy

What:

Open Energy is a new live service that will enable energy stakeholders to seamlessly search for, share and access shared data in an easy, secure way. 

The aim is to change the way energy data is shared with a solution developed by the sector for the sector. 

This half-hour event will showcase what to expect from Open Energy, set out its potential value for users, and share an early preview of the platform. The team will answer questions from the audience, and share information on how to join this ambitious project and register your interest as a potential Beta user. 

Open Energy won UK Government backing and funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

We heard firsthand from Rosie McGlynn at PassivSystems – our first beta user of the service – about her own experience of using the product. You can watch a recording of the webinar here:

Want to hear more? Register to find out how to become an Open Energy member.

When: 19 April 2021 – 2pm-2.30pm BST

Where: Online, sign up via Eventbrite

Who:

• Gea Mikic, Programme Manager, Icebreaker One (Chair)
• Emily Judson, Research Associate – Open Energy, Icebreaker One
• Frank Wales, Product Innovation Lead, Icebreaker One 
• Rosie McGlynn, Senior Programme Manager, PassivSystems, the first Beta user of Open Energy

What:

Open Energy is a new live service that will enable energy stakeholders to seamlessly search for, share and access shared data in an easy, secure way. 

The aim is to change the way energy data is shared with a solution developed by the sector for the sector. 

This half-hour event will showcase what to expect from Open Energy, set out its potential value for users, and share an early preview of the platform. The team will answer questions from the audience, and share information on how to join this ambitious project and register your interest as a potential Beta user. 

Open Energy won UK Government backing and funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).