Notice

Automatic Asset Registration Programme: Phase 1 projects

Published 1 September 2022

Phase 1 of the Automatic Asset Registration (AAR) Programme will support projects to conduct feasibility studies on their proposed solution for an automated, standardised, secure data exchange process for registering small-scale energy assets.

LCT Connect

Participant organisations:

• GreenSync Pty Limited
• Energy Systems Catapult

Project costs: £139,146.58

Project summary

Software technology company GreenSync will be partnering with Energy Systems Catapult with the support from UK Power Networks and several leading global Low Carbon Technologies (LCT) equipment manufacturers and service providers. Collectively they will develop an innovative solution to overcome the key barriers and enable new energy assets such as solar PV, batteries, EV chargers and heat pumps to be registered and visible to networks. The project will incorporate the experience and knowledge of this diverse set of energy market participants to explore the regulatory, data access procedures and technical and legal requirements of managing and building data gathering networks. This work will in turn not only bring benefits to the networks, consumers and asset manufacturers but also to the wider community such as policy makers, local government and emergency services.

The project will leverage the recent international experience in Australia where the mandatory registration of all new Solar PV systems to enable remote disconnect for system security has been regulated. The project will utilise an existing Application Programming Interface (API) based software platform, with integrations to key UK Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) based on international protocols to demonstrate functionality. The project will innovate on this foundation, tailoring and extending technical capability and establish a sustainable commercial model to suit the UK context which is scalable and commercially viable to deploy.

Automatic Asset Registration Platform

Participant organisation:

• Gemserv
• Solstice Associates Limited

Project costs: £150,000

Project summary

The Automatic Asset Registration Platform will allow information about the installation of smart energy assets to flow to the energy companies and relevant authorities automatically, simplifying and reducing the burden on the consumer whilst ensuring that the companies which need the information have reliable data. In the future it is expected that the platform will also act as a central location for additional information from these assets in real time. Being able to determine if a public electric vehicle charger is live and operational for example will help to increase the reliability of the public charging network and help plan where addition chargers are needed if existing assets are being over utilised. Similar information from private energy assets, assuming the consumer gives consent through the platform, would also help to balance the load on the National Grid and local energy networks. This would encourage innovation in this space, reduce the need for new power plants and allow the UK to use its renewable energy resources with optimum efficiency.

Flexibility Asset Information Register (FAIR)

Participant organisations:

• Electralink
• Xanda
• The University of Birmingham Enterprise Limited

Project costs: £144,306

Project summary

ElectraLink, in partnership with the Enterprise Cloud development team at Xanda and researchers at the University of Birmingham, will be acting as the project’s connector and integrator of data. The project enables a wide range of benefits that will support the energy transition and seeks to find ways to lower the cost of running electricity networks. By improving visibility and potential optimisation of LCTs, this will allow the electricity network operators and owners to overcome capacity barriers and constraints. It will also provide a source of data and visibility to support future policies, decisions and investment cases, such a Smart Cities and new efficiency schemes, that will deliver value for UK.

The key elements of the project include a detailed market scan and assessment of data sources, including our own. We will identify gaps and uncover new opportunities where new data may emerge; for example, among customers, industry or installers. Our project will consider how data is best assimilated and centralised into a central source of truth, including clear methodologies that solve data duplication, quality, errors and expiration, leveraging existing technology and assets where possible.

We will design a futureproof solution that will evolve with the industry. We will also design technology developments that can accommodate data verification from other projects (such as the LCT Detection project), and from customer meters, where assets located behind the meter and not registered. A key part will assess data sensitivities and how these can be addressed using our experience as the energy market’s central data transfer network operators, and ensuring robust data governance and security. In phase 1 of the AAR project, ElectraLink will undertake a data discovery and feasibility study to move from the current state of fragmented data collection to automation. Fully automated, self-registering low carbon assets are a possibility for the future but there are many technological, data sensitive, regulatory and commercial barriers to overcome. Our partnership’s combined knowledge and experience will deliver a proof of concept by the end of 2022, and if successful in the next stages, we will deliver a solution in 2024 that includes a data roadmap for the future.