Icebreaker One has won a major UK Research and Innovation competition for the Open Energy project, which aims to revolutionise the way data is shared across the energy sector to make sure the UK achieves its net-zero goals.

It means the project will receive £750k in UK Government funding to continue developing a standard that all organisations in the energy data ecosystem can use to search, share and access data. It’s also developing a prototype governance platform to make sure data is shared securely. 

Icebreaker One will host a webinar on 16 February at 10am to share more information about its progress so far and plans for the future.

Open Energy aims to transform the way organisations exchange the information they need to phase out fossil fuels and implement renewable energy technology. Icebreaker One is aiming to roll out the Open Energy standards, guides and recommendations across the energy sector over the next year.

Open Energy has been guided by industry advisory groups across the UK which include representatives from Ofgem, Scottish Power and SSE. It’s led by Gavin Starks, one of the key figures behind the Open Banking Standard that has revolutionised the banking sector over the past five years.

Icebreaker One worked with project partners Open Climate Fix, Raidiam and PassivSystems, to win the Modernising Energy Data Access (MEDA) competition, run by Innovate UK as part of the Industrial Strategy Prospering from the Energy Revolution programme. 

Gavin Starks, founder and CEO at Icebreaker One, said,

“We’re delighted to have this backing to continue developing the data infrastructure to help unlock access to data to deliver efficiency and innovation across the energy sector.

This will have a material impact on the UK’s ability to make the most of decentralised energy supply and consumption, help address the coming challenges of the transition to electric vehicles and catalyse the delivery of our net-zero targets.

Our work will help unlock data discovery by enabling energy data search and usage by delivering a trusted ecosystem for decentralised data sharing.”

Rob Saunders, Challenge Director, Prospering from the Energy Revolution at UKRI, said:

“The MEDA competition was designed to accelerate innovative ways for energy data to be open-sourced, organised and accessed, providing a platform for new technology, services and more agile regulation within the energy sector. 

“The Icebreaker One project showed exactly what can be achieved through collaborative thinking and will help create a framework for all stakeholders to share data further for the common benefit – and ultimately for the UK’s net-zero ambitions. We are looking forward to working with them closely as the project develops further.”

David Manning, Head of Data Management at SSE plc, said: “At SSE we recognise that becoming a data driven organisation is critical to our role in helping achieve a net zero world.”

“Readily accessible and trusted data will be essential to building the decarbonised energy system of the future; ensuring flexibility, customisation and personalisation for energy users, large and small. It’s exciting to see the progress being made in this space.”

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