Flood of data in the power industry: Better data management can bring big gains

The power industry is experiencing significant growth in data volume, but lacks the right solutions to store, share, and analyze the information. With the right data strategy, companies in the industry can achieve significant cost savings, streamline operations, and create new business opportunities.

Transition to 15-minute metering, fluctuating electricity prices, power tariffs, more power generation from intermittent renewable sources, more sensors connected to the internet(IoT). These changes and many more mean that the power industry is flooded with data from more and more data sources. More and more data is being generated and all of this information needs to be stored securely, shared and made available for analysis and business systems. In addition, more and more power companies want and need to operate with real-time or near real-time data.

Statnett is a concrete example of the importance of better data management. The state-owned enterprise wants more data, has a greater need for information sharing and the availability of real-time data in its business systems. Statnett is the operator of the transmission grid and system operator in the Norwegian power system. Statnett builds, owns and operates the central electricity grid and ensures that there is always a balance between consumption and production so that everyone has access to the electricity they need at all times. With an increased amount of intermittent power in the grid, there is an even greater need for Statnett to have good control of data and, as the system operator, Statnett needs more and better data from producers, especially wind power producers, to ensure a balance between production and consumption.

Read more about how Kafka ensures good data flow at Statnett here >

"We need to share more data. Today there are too many emails, phone calls and too many long data transfers. We need to replace this with better data flow between different players and systems. The power industry is investing heavily in the electricity grid without having considered the alternatives," said Sigve Hamran, Information Technology Lead at Lnett during the Energy Industry IT Conference 2024.

The industry is struggling to manage data

• Old and fragmented storage solutions.
• The need to store all data.
• Expensive storage solutions.
• Complex backup solutions.

The power companies summarize the data challenges in three points:

Fragmented: Data is stored both in the cloud and on-premises, often on legacy storage technologies such as tape.
Lack of system: There is a lack of common guidelines for how data should be stored and handled in companies.
High costs: Multiple storage solutions result in high costs. In particular, the maintenance costs of many different systems are high.

Read the blog: How to secure your company's data capital >

Signe Marie Oland, UI & Product Developer at Lede, has played a key role in the development of WattApp, an online service that provides information about grid capacity for everyone. The purpose of WattApp is to guide and manage expectations for those who want to connect to the grid to extract or deliver power. Data sharing is the foundation of the service, which receives capacity figures from Lede, Glitre, Tensio, Lnett, BKK and Elvia. During the Energy Industry IT Conference 2024, Oland said that everyone, both customers and grid companies, benefits from sharing data.

"During the development of WattApp, we encountered three challenges related to data sharing: Permission to share, willingness to share and ability to share. To achieve effective sharing, management must take the lead and put data sharing on the agenda. Then it is reflected in the culture and ultimately affects the ability to share. Today, most people want to share data because they see the value of a common national dataset of grid capacity, which provides great value for customers, which in turn provides great value for the grid companies," said Oland.

Better data management provides major benefits

Good and precise data use and data sharing provide efficiency gains not only for grid companies, but along the entire value chain. The timing of power generation is critical to hit the hours of highest demand and highest price. Weather data, weather analysis and production profiles are important, especially when it comes to significantly increasing electricity production in the future. Data can be used to provide accurate forecasts of power consumption, production and the market situation - especially if artificial intelligence (AI) is used on large amounts of data.

Good data management is essential to:

  Comply with legal requirements: The power industry is subject to strict requirements for documentation and storage of data.
Develop new solutions and services: Data can be used as a basis for developing new products and services, as well as optimizing existing processes.
Better decision-making: By analyzing data, decision-makers have a better basis for making informed choices.
Increased productivity: A good data strategy can help reduce costs and increase productivity.

Good data management can provide great value in several other areas, e.g: 
By collecting and analyzing data, data can make machines and components "smart". For example, you can increase the useful life of transformers and wind turbines with optimized use and predictive maintenance based on data analysis. Or you can gain insight into how the equipment can be used more efficiently.

Good basis for reporting and documentation. New requirements, rules and regulations are constantly emerging that require power companies to have control over their data, such as the new rules for sustainability reporting. The Data Protection Act and the Transparency Act also affect the power industry. The latter requires documentation (data) on the origin of all deliveries. In addition, there are strict rules regarding power-sensitive data.

During the Energy Industry IT Conference 2024, Sigve Hamran from Lnett pointed out that old systems and technical debt make it difficult and costly to share data, while at the same time being uncertain about data quality.

To succeed in an industry that is increasingly driven by data, utilities need to develop holistic strategies for data management, data sharing and data analysis. Good data infrastructure and efficient data sharing routines not only create operational improvements for the individual player, but also new business opportunities and competitive advantages. The right data strategy lays the foundation for better decision-making and cost efficiency throughout the industry. By prioritizing data strategy and implementing the right solutions, the power industry is better equipped to face the future; both the challenges and opportunities that come from digital transformation - and not least as a result of the green shift.