The OpenSynth project, powered by Centre for Net Zero and LF Energy, aims to democratize access to synthetic energy data, fostering a collaborative community to advance energy research while ensuring privacy. In this video, Gareth Jones, Chief Operating Officer, and Gus Chadney, Data Lead at Centre for Net Zero, discuss the project and its key focuses to address the climate crisis. Jones says, “OpenSynth is a project looking to democratize access to synthetic energy consumption data. So what we’re hoping to achieve is to build a community around users and creators of synthetic data.”

How the OpenSynth project aims to democratize access to synthetic energy consumption data

• Jones explains that the Centre for Net Zero is a nonprofit research institute aiming to transform energy systems through a multidisciplinary team.
• Jones talks about the funding and origins of the Centre for Net Zero, saying it operates autonomously but is part of Octopus Energy, which manages renewable assets and licenses software to utilities and energy retailers globally.
• Jones highlights the Centre for Net Zero’s involvement with LF Energy. He explains their recent project, OpenSynth, aimed at democratizing access to energy demand data, which marks their initial engagement with LF Energy.
• OpenSynth aims to democratize synthetic energy consumption data, leveraging their Faraday tool to generate this data while ensuring privacy and building a community around its usage.
• Jones defines synthetic data, explaining that it mimics real data like smart meter data but is entirely fake, thus ensuring privacy while retaining useful attributes for research.

OpenSynth’s key focuses and role in addressing the climate crisis

• The focus of the OpenSynth project is on building a community and technical infrastructure, with plans to develop standards and benchmarks for synthetic data.
• Chadney outlines the project’s goals to create a comprehensive data and code repository, develop benchmarking technology, and establish privacy and fidelity standards for synthetic data.
• Jones discusses the importance of open source for the Centre for Net Zero. He notes that OpenSynth is their major open source initiative, aiming to publish and collaborate more extensively than previous smaller contributions.
• Chadney explains current uses like grid modeling and impact studies, highlighting synthetic data’s potential for various future energy system simulations.
• Jones stresses the importance of global collaboration in OpenSynth to create a diverse and extensive synthetic data pool for accelerating research.
• OpenSynth’s role in addressing the climate crisis is focused on embedding future energy system insights into synthetic data to expedite research and transition efforts.

The importance of AI in optimizing the grid and the need to unite data users and generators

• Jones talks about the challenges of EV charging and renewable energy, highlighting the need for sophisticated modeling and research on demand flexibility to balance supply and demand, Chadney sees it as a big opportunity for optimization and consumer benefit.
• AI is anticipated to play an increasingly important role in optimizing the grid and Jones discusses the importance of AI, mentioning their Faraday tool for synthetic data generation and automation’s growing role in balancing energy demands.
• Jones and Chadney explain the Centre for Net Zero’s goals of uniting data users and generators, encouraging data sharing, and fostering research, inviting widespread participation through mailing lists and committees.
• The target audience for OpenSynth includes participants with raw smart meter data, policymakers, system operators, and researchers who can benefit from synthetic data.

Guests: Gareth Jones (LinkedIn) | Gus Chadney (LinkedIn)
Organizations: Centre for Net Zero (Twitter)| LF Energy (Twitter)
Show: State of Energy 

This summary was written by Emily Nicholls.