The OpenSynth project, powered by Centre for Net Zero and LF Energy, aims to accelerate the energy transition by creating realistic synthetic smart meter data to help address privacy concerns and improve decision-making in energy system planning. In this show, Gareth Jones, Chief Operating Officer at Centre for Net Zero, discusses the key focuses of the OpenSynth project and how it is addressing privacy concerns, the release of the Faraday algorithm’s source code to the community, and the project’s plans for the future. Jones says that by generating, sharing, and utilizing synthetic data, we can accelerate research efforts and help people better understand future energy systems, enabling more informed decision-making.

How the OpenSynth project is using synthetic smart meter data to tackle energy challenges

• Jones introduces the OpenSynth project, which focuses on creating synthetic smart meter data for energy research. Synthetic data allows researchers to work with realistic data without compromising privacy.
• The OpenSynth community has seen growing interest in generating and using this synthetic data, highlighting the importance of collaboration in addressing energy challenges.

How releasing the Faraday algorithm’s source code aims to expedite OpenSynth’s efforts

• Jones discusses releasing the Faraday algorithm’s source code to the community. This release is intended to accelerate work within the OpenSynth community by allowing others to generate synthetic smart meter data.
• Jones explains how interested individuals can get involved by using the provided resources and contributing back to the community.

Synthetic smart meter data’s role in addressing privacy concerns

• Jones explains how synthetic data can integrate household consumption data with additional metadata (like building efficiency and demographics) without violating privacy. This makes the synthetic data more useful for predicting future energy systems.
• There is a need for global engagement with policymakers due to varying regulations around data privacy and synthetic data usage. Jones stresses that policymakers’ involvement is crucial for the successful adoption of synthetic data technologies.
• The OpenSynth project aims to create synthetic data that accurately represents real data with the broader goal of increasing the adoption of synthetic data in various industries.
• Jones discusses how the Centre for Net Zero is collaborating with leading academics to define quality standards for synthetic smart meter data, to encourage its adoption.

Guest: Gareth Jones (LinkedIn)
Organizations: Centre for Net Zero (Twitter)| LF Energy (Twitter)
Show: Let’s Talk

This summary was written by Emily Nicholls.