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data to make decisions that don't require public input. "People don't have the capacity to keep taking on more information. We are mon- keys fumbling our way through the world." Others said communication was critical to negotiating the data minefield and avoid- ing negative publicity in newspapers. Driving change When it came to talk of business models, there was a suggestion that the energy market makes it difficult for new entrants to shake up the status quo. "We are still reliant on incumbents to drive innovation." But elsewhere there was a suggestion that the environment was becoming more conducive to positive change. "Ofgem and the government have been driving this. The consumer is starting to get the opportunity to do things with their meter." Opportunities for new approaches were outlined. "It's possible to imagine buying a car with free energy included. Those models are interesting challenges for existing provid - ers," said one. Another added: "We need to rip the plaster off and see true innovation come through." As the meeting wrapped up, suggestions were thrown into the ring for measures to enable network transformation. "The UK trajectory is positive," insisted one attendee. "We are in a revolution in how energy is distributed and consumed. It's like going from BT's fixed network to mobiles. It will get interesting." But others called for more radical, urgent change. "If I had access to all data I could want I still couldn't unlock the value until there was wholesale reform of the energy market. We need it to come quickly or innovators will disappear." Warnings were sounded. "There is a danger that we will be like squirrels with data hidden away in various places. We need a good metadata directory; secure storage in long term archives; decent documentation. Imagine coming back to data in 10 years' time, would you under - stand it?" "Let's not be world class at getting ready," said another. "Let's get going now." Data was widely seen as an enabler to transformation. "Where there is value there will be vested interests," said one. "We need to have society's best interests in mind rather than fighting among our - selves." NETWORK / 33 /APRIL 2019 In association with: Views from the speakers: "Trust is only an issue if you are selling trust because you don't have a value proposition. I don't trust Google with my data but I still give them it because they give me a valuable service in return. We need a value proposition to the consumer to change the dynamic." Ian Rose, professional services director, Passiv Systems. "This is about national infrastructure and we need leadership or we will have a long time discussing it with nothing happening. We need a focused working group to gather opinion and define which data sets are needed and how to get high quality data in order to support the energy transformation." Xiao-Ping Zhang, director of smart grid, University of Birmingham. "If you have a service that allows you to look at an elderly parent 1,000 miles away and make sure they are ok then I'm interested. I tell my mum to get a smart meter and permit me access to the data. Useful services like this will drive demand for smart meters from consumers." Joshua Cooper, chief executive, Hildebrand. "One in four of our customers say they don't want smart meters. They don't trust anybody with their data. We need to spend more of our budget on communication about the wider societal benefits of smart including our low carbon future." Juliet Davenport, CEO, Good Energy.