21 Jul 2023

Net zero Utility North West

Electricity North West Open Data Portal: A valuable resource for the energy sector

Electricity North West recently launched its open data portal, providing access to a wide range of data related to the electricity network in the North West of England. The data is available for free to anyone who wants to use it, and it can be used for a variety of purposes, including research, analysis, and development. In this blog, Ian Povey, DSO data manager at Electricity North West discusses the data sets and the benefits of this valuable resource.

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The portal launched with our embedded capacity register which provides information on generation and storage resources (≥50kW) that are connected or accepted to connect to Electricity North West’s network. The register is updated monthly and also includes information about connected flexibility and network reinforcements. Since we went live, we have increased the data available to 28 data sets including our distribution future electricity scenarios, flexible services, high voltage network capacity and much more.

Electricity North West is committed to making its data as accessible as possible, and the portal allows users to view the data on a map or as a table, with the ability to filter, overlay and analyse the results. Datasets can also be downloaded in a number of file formats or accessed via API.

This data is valuable for a variety of stakeholders in the energy industry, including:

Operators: The data can be used to assess the impact of distributed generation on the electricity network. This information can help operators to plan for the future and to ensure that the network is able to accommodate the growth.

Developers: This information can help developers to assess the potential of a particular location and to develop projects that are compatible with the electricity network.

Policymakers: The data can be used to inform policy decisions. This information can help policymakers to develop policies that support the growth of low-carbon technologies and that help to ensure a secure and sustainable electricity supply.

In addition to the benefits for stakeholders, the Electricity North West Open Data Portal also has the following benefits:

Transparency: The portal makes it easy for the public to access information about our electricity network. This transparency can help to build public trust in the electricity network and in the transition to a low-carbon energy system.

Innovation: The data can be used to develop new products and services that can help to improve the efficiency and reliability of the electricity network.

Overall, the data on the portal can be used to improve the efficiency and reliability of the electricity network, support growth on the network and build public trust in the transition to a low-carbon energy system. We invite you to take a look around the portal and see how you can use the data to benefit your business or organisation.

If you are looking for data that is not yet on the open data portal, we’re happy to consider the request; you can submit a data request through the portal.

Visit the Electricity North West Open Data Portal today: https://electricitynorthwest.opendatasoft.com/