Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution has become the first Distribution Network Operator (DNO) to publish its smart meter half-hourly consumption datasets.
SSEN reported that there are 1.8 million smart meters across the firm’s north and south licence areas recording the active and reactive half-hourly consumption, equating to over 170 million daily readings.
These smart meters account for 54% of the network operator’s patch, and SSEN recognises that consumption data from the meters is a valuable asset and resource to the wider energy sector, stakeholders and consumers.
Access to the localised energy consumption will enable SSEN and interested parties, such as local authorities, flexibility markets and other energy suppliers, to model electricity demand with greater accuracy and efficiency.
SSEN has also collaborated with other UK DNOs through the Energy Networks Association (ENA) to agree and implement an interoperable methodology for sharing this data in a consistent manner.
A key focus was to agree on an aggregation level of five or more smart meters from an individual circuit on the low voltage network; any lower than five meters or sensitive sites following data triage are excluded.
Paul Fitzgerald, smart energy systems manager at SSEN, said: “These are exciting times for accessing and utilising smart meter data. SSEN is delighted to be the first DNO to unlock the full consumption datasets at such a granular level and to make them available on our open data portal for interested parties to access.”
New and valuable technology
The opportunities and advantages that arise from the ability to record and access half-hourly consumption datasets from the network affect all involved in the renewable energy sector.
The value of this new technology is not being overlooked by the key industry players, evident from the fact that Ofgem helped fund this SSEN project, along with another from the same network operator, in October 2023.
At the time the project was named the Vulnerability Identification Via Informative Data (VIVID) project, and aimed to use data provided by smart meters and other public sources to identify which customers could save more money, receive financial help or benefit from safety and resilience measures.
SSEN is not alone in this venture as well, with UK Power Networks (UKPN) announcing the conclusion of its disaggregated smart data trial in November 2023.
UKPN revealed that by using data protection regulation-certified information to analyse the energy usage of participating customers and mapping that data to its local substations, it was able to better understand the demands on its network.
The trial was run in partnership with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), with the new model working in conjunction with UKPN’s Distribution Future Energy Scenarios, which forecast energy usage for the coming years.
