The Results are Out and Critical Software is on the Winning Team!

Last month, a group of leading European grid operators launched the European Energy Data Access Pilots 2020, a Europe-wide competition for the best pilots for innovative energy products and services leveraging metering data. Entries into the competition had to meet two conditions: that they utilise cross-border metering data and that the pilot could be implemented during 2020.

An international committee selected the n3rgy data service, which has been live for over a year in the UK and was developed by Critical Software for n3rgy data Limited, as one of the most innovative products in the energy industry as part of the European Energy Data Access Pilots Competition! Critical Software’s pilot as one of the winners of the Europe-wide competition. The n3rgy data service would allow third party access to smart meter data, fostering innovative products and services.

“The 10 selected projects stood out by being orientated to market integration, increasing competition with new products and services and empowered the consumer in the energy market. They are also solving important market barriers and can be successfully implemented in 3-6 months,” explained Kaija Valdmaa, Product Owner at Estfeed, one of the drivers of this initiative.

These pilot projects intend to demonstrate the value of data access across Europe and to show the level of innovation that can happen thanks to consent-based access to private metering data from both private consumers and enterprises, both nationally and internationally.

Matt Dillane, Business Development Manager of Critical Software, said: “We're delighted to be part of this transformative project. There’s a wealth of useful data collected by smart meters but accessing it has traditionally been littered with complex legal, security, and procedural barriers. This project will make smart meter data much more accessible and useful to businesses, giving innovators the power to provide new services for consumers and the market."

The list of winners included Siemens, FlexiDAO, WePower, re.alto energy, Elertis, DEXMA, Sunly, Greenbird and R8 Technologies. An overview of all the pilots, which are scheduled to begin their implementation in the second half of May, is available here.

This competition is part of a larger initiative. Several European grid operators aim to establish a European Energy Data Bridge Alliance, lowering data access barriers and harmonising energy data access throughout Europe.