Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/1100701
ROUNDTABLE D ata is such a buzzword in cur- rent business parlance that it is worth taking a moment to consider its true meaning. According to the Cambridge English dictionary, data is information collected to be considered to help decision making. At a roundtable event – organised by Network and Utility Week in association with the Energy Systems Catapult – lead - ing players from the sector came together for a thorough examination of the best way data could be used to transform the power network. An anticipated increase in data genera - tion is widely expected from networks. "What does this data let you do?" asked one attendee. "Can we rethink the way we sell energy? Most of the research is looking at the way industries move to service-based models. Delivering value is giving a con - sumer what they want, not trying to make them understand what they've got." There was agreement that considering the consumer was critical in using data to build a better energy network. "We have to sell consumers a vision that we can sell them a greener world and reduced cost," said one. "We need buy-in to use the data." One way in which consumers are turned off from energy providers is through devices that don't talk to each other, according to some voices. Cloud systems are not being designed to be interoperable, bemoaned one. "We are ploughing on with our own systems doing things in different ways. Industry needs better a grip on how we use a common cloud-based platform for data collection." Interoperability is key The second set of Smart Metering Equip- ment Technical Specifications – known as SMETS2 – came in for a hard time, referred to by one attendee as "disastrous". But another warned that leaving the mar- ket to its own devices could "cause some issues later down the line. Interoperability is the right thing to do". There was recognition that interoper - Discovering data Key figures from across the industry came together in Birmingham to debate how data could enable the transformation of the energy sector. Greg Pitcher reports. NETWORK / 32 /APRIL 2019 ability can mean different things depending on the context and viewpoint. "We need to understand what we're talking about. There is a lot of innovation coming. How do we talk about wires and pipes? How do we define the network?" Energy Systems Catapult's living labs were suggested as a place to help innovators in the sector test new products. One attendee said the UK had better open access to data than in the US and Australia. The issue of silos came up. "Investors will only fund silos," warned one. "The problem with silos is stopping us from attaining the full benefit of consumer behaviour," said another. "The longer we wait, the more entrenched silos will become. We have a lot of data on consum - ers, can we not build on that and under- stand the information we can give people to change behaviours?" Data security reared its head not long into the discussion. Knowing laughter greeted the admission that now was a ter- rible time to be trying to get consumers to sign over data, given some of the negative headlines over hacking and sharing of per- sonal information recently. "We are trying to do something when there is bad press about data extraction. You can't overestimate that problem." Another warned about public miscon- ception. "When smart meters came in, people thought the government would spy on them and burglars would target them – it's easier to sit outside a house than use smart meters for these purposes." A plea was made for research and com - munication to overcome myths damaging the drive to collect more energy data from consumers. "Let's see if we can solve prob- lems by unpicking trust issues." One expert suggested the industry would never have the glamour of some online service providers that requested data from individuals. But another said: "There is tremendous support for decarbonisation. We've just had the coldest February followed by the warm - est. Giving access to your data is something people would buy into." Another said: "One app on someone's phone could be for energy. The telecomms network is no more interesting than the energy network, it's the services at the end of it that lure people." Another attendee said the industry should be working out how it can attract