Why digital architecture is key to Britain’s energy future

As the energy network grows and modernises, so does the digital architecture that links it all together. It needs to be acknowledged and understood as just as important as any other part of the energy system, NESO's chief information officer  Shubhi Rajnish  argues.

“Britain’s energy transition is often imagined in concrete and cables – wind farms, solar panels, nuclear plants and new network infrastructure. But behind every asset being planned and connected, the challenge of fragmented data threatens to slow the energy transition down and make the energy system more expensive.

“Right now, energy data is dispersed across different organisations. Transmission Owners have the information to design and build new electricity network routes for power to travel over. Gas and electricity distribution companies have visibility of assets on their systems that feed homes and businesses. Suppliers and aggregators hold data on homes, electric vehicles and batteries that, when brought together, can act as virtual power plants.

“That is merely the edges of it. Artificial intelligence (AI) is opening more opportunities to enhance the way the energy system is run. New ways to forecast and to simulate will create better outcomes for people, society and the economy but data volumes will grow as a result.

“It is not that the energy sector lacks data, but often the data is not in the right place or not visible to the right parties. It might be the format or the access arrangements that are the problem. And much like energy, data is often invisible, despite it underpinning the global economy.

“Every day, thousands of decisions are made across Great Britain’s energy system. Many organisations rely on information held by different parties often in separate systems and formats. If that data cannot be easily found or used, it becomes harder to make the best decisions at the pace the transition requires.

“Without the right digital architecture to bring this data together, the physical infrastructure of the transition will be costlier and slower than it should be. The digital spine should be treated as a core part of the energy transition, not an add-on.

“Having a robust and successful digital architecture means having data sources that speak to each other in a common language. It means organisations do not duplicate each other’s work, lowering costs and accelerating decisions. In a sector often challenged for its speed of delivery, making good decisions faster is not something that should be overlooked.

“The UK government has recognised this challenge. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s digitalisation vision includes proposals to align organisations around common standards and approaches. This is encouraging to see.

NESO has developed Britain’s first Sector Digitalisation Plan and is developing the world’s first energy system digital spine for organisations to share information securely through a data sharing infrastructure. This new system will act as the missing connective tissue between energy sector participants who want to maintain control and share data seamlessly without legal friction.

“Alongside improvements to how the sector can share and exchange data, NESO has also leveraged digital technology to improve its operation of Britain’s national electricity network. On top of the £286 million we have invested over the last five years, we’ve also committed an additional £267 million to modernise the digital systems in our control room, where we oversee second-by-second operation of the grid.

“Our digital system evolution means we are improving the data that our control room operators see. It means developing agentic artificial intelligence that can improve how and when assets on the electricity system are dispatched, sending thousands of instructions to them simultaneously.

“We’re not investing for investment’s sake. We are investing to maintain a reliable, clean and cost-effective system for consumers.

“Success for Great Britain’s energy transition is often framed on delivering clean, secure and low-cost energy. That test will remain. But success will also depend on whether the energy system works together.

“A digital architecture won’t build a new nuclear plant or a wind farm. But if we fail to prioritise it then planning and connecting the infrastructure for Great Britain’s future, in a way that delivers the best outcome for consumers, will be a lot harder than it should be.”