A groundbreaking collaboration between Simply Group, Counties Power, Callaghan Innovation, and Creative HQ will unlock half-hour electricity data for the first time to promote research and innovation
Backing the Lightning Lab Electric Innovation Challenge and Accelerator programme, Counties Power has teamed up with Simply Group to put anonymised userdata in the hands of New Zealand’s innovators with the goal of creating game-changing outcomes for the energy sector.
Supported with funding from Callaghan Innovation, participants in the Lightning Lab programme will gain access to aggregated data sets on power usage, consumer demand and network assets, via building on the success of Simply Group’s proven Axos Systems meter data management technology.
Lightning Lab Electric is one of the world’s first electricity sector-specific programmes providing teams with mentoring, start-up methodologies, and business skills to launch commercial ideas with speed, with the ability to tap into national and international markets.
“We have a $600 million national investment in advanced meters in New Zealand,” says Simply Group Managing Director Stephen Peterson. “There are huge opportunities for the captured data to be utilised to support innovation and create long-term benefit for consumers by reducing network capital spend and operating costs.”
Peterson says one of the groundbreaking features of this project is making it easy for retailers to anonymise the data they collect, addressing retailer and consumer privacy and competitive concerns, while maintaining data that’s relevant to network management and pricing.
“Counties Power’s strategic forward-thinking means it now has access to data which it is beginning to use,” Peterson adds. “Our collaboration creates an opportunity to further develop and commercialise the benefits from its network analytics.”
While New Zealand leads the world in electricity regulation and market operation, with the highest country penetration of advanced meters systematically capturing critical information, current industry arrangements do not support obtaining comprehensive meter data to distribution networks, which can be beneficially utilised.
“We are keen to engage with industry stakeholders across the sector to develop solutions and business intelligence tools that can be used by network owners, retailers and their consumers,” says Counties Power Chief Executive Sheridan Broadbent. “We’re also after useful analytics to help us optimise network investment and stay true to our focus on consumer value for money.
“We’re also looking at opportunities with Simply Group to develop innovative products, services and technologies with the aim of discovering the possibilities for the future, while developing useful analytics to support best practice investment and maintenance that can be used right now.”
This public-private partnership will create unique breakthrough opportunities by combining technologies, expertise and consumer databases, planting New Zealand’s electricity sector even further ahead of the rest of the world.
“The ability for energy start-ups to use data to develop other consumer solutions is a sign of where the energy sector is heading, Callaghan Innovation Energy Sector Manager Chris Thomson believes.
“Energy technology is increasingly going to involve data in creating solutions for network and infrastructure investment, and consumer demand for choice.”
