The Loadscape project aims to enhance UK Power Networks’ understanding of electricity demand profiles among non-domestic customers. By analysing half-hourly metered data, the project will classify organisations, identify clusters in demand, and develop a taxonomy of consumption patterns. This data-driven approach will enable more accurate forecasting of maximum demand and support efficient electricity network planning. The project is delivered in collaboration with Environmental Insight Partners and will produce a predictive model to assign new customers to demand profiles before meter data is available. If successful, Loadscape will facilitate quicker, cheaper connections for customers and support a more resilient and flexible electricity network.
Benefits
The purpose of the project is to better understand the demand profiles of different types of non-domestic customers. Therefore, the proposed approach is to first cluster the data based on similarities in electricity usage and then assign taxonomies. We believe this will lead to more accurate results in the most efficient way.
Once implemented, UK Power Networks will benefit from more granular understanding of non-domestic-related demand, specifically quantifying maximum consumption and when it occurs.
Expected benefits of this project are as follows:
- Reduced costs for new connection customers
- Improved efficiency within UK Power Networks in assessing new connections applications
- Reduced disruption for existing customers due to a reduction in construction work required for new connections
- Identifying more businesses to include in our Extra Care Register not already identified by other means
Quantifiable benefits of this project are described in further detail in section 3.2 of this document.
Learnings
Outcomes
The project is still in the initial stages – the key outcome to highlight at this stage is the compilation of relevant learnings from previous projects and assessment of how these can be applied to Loadscape:
Two data sets were identified from UK Power Networks’ Open Data Portal as having overlapping approaches and objectives as Loadscape. These include standard profiles for electricity demand and supply, and data centre utilisation.
The DSO team summarised the methodology, outcomes and areas for improvement. An exercise was then completed to assess how these could be applied to Loadscape.
Lessons Learnt
The key project learning to date is on the availability of data to be shared. The initial project plan underestimated the time required to set up sharing the required data. The assumption made when planning was that, since sample data had been previously shared, sharing the full data set could follow the same process. However, this has not been the case, as the project has had to approach the data sharing process as if new, requiring coordination across multiple teams (e.g. legal, data, procurement). We will therefore look to increase the time dedicated to sharing data in the future, to accommodate potential delays with this stage.
