Two of our innovation projects have between them received almost £6m from Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fund. The two projects – while moving into different stages with this newly-awarded funding – both harness the power of data to accelerate the journey towards further, quicker decarbonisation.
The VERIFY project – receiving £5,331,569 from the Strategic Innovation Fund
Societies are decarbonising, but this journey is happening at different speeds in different communities. We care deeply that decarbonisation should be an equitable, fair transition, and this belief has informed our sector-leading work to identify vulnerable groups and ensure they’re fully supported during this change.
VERIFY will combine data on networks, homes, demographics, and smart meters to inform network investment that’s fit-for-purpose for the communities to be supported. Our VERIFY team will work with local authorities, charities, and IT specialists to find the best ways to deliver these insights.
Simon O'Loughlin, VERIFY’s project manager, says:
“VERIFY builds on two previous SSEN-led projects which have pioneered use of data to identify vulnerable households and introduced the concept of using data on vulnerability to inform network design. This new project combines these two principles; we’ll now be applying what we’ve learned at scale, refining our techniques, and taking our ability to plan new networks with the specific needs of the customers they’ll serve as a priority.
“Our goal is to ensure people get the benefits of the low-carbon transformation, irrespective of where they live, and no matter their own circumstances. Over the next three years, VERIFY will bring together the best minds in their fields to create a service that can be used by networks like ours, as well as energy suppliers, charities, and local authorities. Working across sectors enables faster, better, and more effective support for households during emergencies, power cuts and even at times of financial need.
“We look forward to working with our partners at CGI, Quarriers, Aberdeen City Council, DCC, E.ON, SGN, Smith Institute and the Centre for Sustainable Energy, and our subcontractors Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership, University of Reading and Cranfield University in this next project phase.”
The D2I Data to Insights project – receiving £499,820 from the Strategic Innovation Fund
New digital technology offers Distribution Network Operators us the opportunity to make services smarter and more efficient, so it becomes easier for people to use the vast volume of data available. Removing the barriers that hinder access to this data - and prevent it from being interpreted effectively - means customers will themselves be able to access the data they need. This ease of use means investment decisions can be sped up.
Data to Insights will provide a step-change in how we engage with data, and how those we work with are able to use it, thanks to advances in AI and other digital technologies. The project will remove technical barriers currently preventing people from gaining greater data insights and use new modelling to better understand how to handle data more efficiently.
Cori Critchlow-Watton, Data to Insight’s project manager, says:
“The better we can understand and harness the power of our data, the better we can apply its insights to the process of decarbonising our communities, and our economy. Better insights will help reduce the cost of managing data, help inform connections requests (with a corresponding reduction in those made speculatively) and we already know data visibility is critical in giving us the best picture of network capacity.
“The progress we’ll make during the next Data to Insights project phase will make data work harder in the interests of customers and help realise our shared goal of decarbonising our communities. I’m looking forward to working with project partners Energy Systems Catapult, CGI, University of Strathclyde and Roadnight Taylor on this project.”