Open data to drive energy efficiency and sustainability

The promotion of energy efficiency and sustainability is one of the priorities of the European Union and Spain, as reflected in the European Green Pact. The availability of open data related to energy production, distribution and consumption allows governments, businesses and citizens to access essential information to address the challenges of climate change and promote a more sustainable future.

In this post, we explore examples of use cases that show the impact of open data on the energy landscape, as well as sources of interest where to find quality data on the subject.

Open data use cases in the energy sector

EUR 79,600 million. This is the estimated annual savings from open data in the energy sector in the European Union, according to the report "The Economic Impact of Open Data: Opportunities for Value Creation in Europe (2020)". This is possible thanks to multiple projects and applications based on open data that affect various areas.

• More efficient resource planning

Access to open data on available energy resources makes it possible to identify the most suitable areas to develop projects, ensuring that the use of available natural resources is maximised. For example, in the Baltic Sea, natural gas infrastructure is being expanded to meet the region's growing needs. By taking advantage of Copernicus' advanced data together with its own monitoring and forecasting services (including data on wind, waves, sea water level, currents, sea ice, etc.), the Estonian and Finnish governments were able to carry out more efficient planning for the installation of a new plant.

Likewise, the National Geographic Institute has made available to users a viewer to find out the incidence of the sun and determine the best location for solar panels. Thanks to this viewer, different locations and orientations can be analysed to identify the position that maximises solar energy collection.

• More responsible and efficient consumption

Open data also includes information on the use and performance of different energies. The Junta de Castilla y León, for example, has a dataHub that collects information from more than 1,500 consumer centres. This dashboard allows the analysis by type of energy (electricity, gas, diesel) and by geographical location (educational centres, health centres, administrative offices, hospitals, etc.). This allows them to compare consumption between the buildings they manage and make efficiency decisions, which has resulted in savings of €2M per year since 2015 on the fixed cost of electricity alone.

The Urban3r viewer allows the visualisation of different indicators on the current state of the building, the energy demand data of residential buildings in their current state and after energy refurbishment, as well as the estimated costs of these interventions, facilitating decision making.

Commercial solutions are also available on the market for this purpose, such as Opower, a tool that uses artificial intelligence to provide personalised information to each customer, identifying and suggesting the replacement of inefficient heating and cooling systems. Another example is uplight, which performs energy efficiency analyses for commercial buildings, utilities and government entities with operational and retrofit recommendations to reduce consumption. These examples highlight the business opportunity in this niche market.

• Possibility to choose cheaper suppliers

Open data provides detailed information on tariffs and prices of different energy suppliers. This transparency allows consumers to easily compare offers and choose the option that best suits their needs. This is the case of applications for choosing petrol stations, such as Mejorgasolinera.com or Precioil.es, which offer detailed information on the country's petrol stations and allow filtering by brand, location or road and sorted by price and distance. We also find similar solutions for the electricity market, such as Tarifaluzhora.

The National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC in Spanish) also has a Energy Offers Comparator (CNMC), which allows you to consult gas and electricity offers.

• Transparency, accountability and harm minimisation

The publication of open data not only allows citizens and organisations to access detailed information on energy production, distribution and consumption. It also increases transparency in resource management and promotes accountability of energy companies and governments.

To this end, OpenOil was born, which aims to reduce the opacity of the oil industry and thereby increase the accountability of oil companies. It provides an open data framework for natural resource management at the supranational level, as well as consultancy and training services for the creation of natural resource management mechanisms and processes.

In order to minimise the impact of oil spills in the oceans, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), in collaboration with Digital Earth Solutions (DES), has developed a unique software, capable of predicting in a few minutes and with great precision the geographic evolution of any oil slick, forecasting its future trajectory in the ocean or studying its movement backwards in time to find its origin.

Where can I find energy data?

If you are thinking of developing such a solution, you are in luck, because there is a wealth of open energy data available on the web.

If you are looking for data from Spain, in addition to datos.gob.es, you can visit the following websites:

• Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE). IDAE provides sectorised statistics and energy balances for both primary and final energy, in thousands of tonnes of oil equivalent (ktoe). In total, 69 energy types and 128 energy flows and/or sectors are detailed. The data currently available cover the historical series from 1990 to 2022.
• Red Eléctrica de España. REData is the website of Red eléctrica where we can find national statistical series related to the Spanish electricity system, updated month by month. In this space you can also access information on demand, generation, balancing, exchange, transmission and electricity markets, whose data are available through a REST API. Depending on the nature of the dataset, we can find data that are updated annually, quarterly or even daily. Another useful tool of Red Eléctrica is  ESIOS, with updated data on generation, consumption, market, prices, etc.
• National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC): The CNMC Data open data portal provides direct access to data and indicators relating to the energy markets overseen by the CNMC: electricity, natural gas and oil products. We can find statistics on market prices, the number of users benefiting from the social bonus or the percentage of renewable energy in the total amount, among other values. Data are updated regularly, on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis.

A wealth of information is also available worldwide:

• European Union. On the EU's energy policy website, we find various data and analyses ranging from oil price developments in individual member states to possible energy market scenarios for 2030 and 2050, among many others. In addition, the European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy produces energy statistical fact sheets every two years, based on data from Eurostat and EU greenhouse gas monitoring. The data is broken down by country, which allows for easy comparisons. Also available is the ENSPRESO database, which focuses on the wind, solar and biomass sectors.
• International Energy Agency (IEA). IEA is an international organisation created in 1974 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to secure energy supplies. Although some of the datasets offered are paid for, open data can also be found on the website and can be downloaded upon registration.
• Other countries: At the international level, we can find detailed portals by country, such as the US Open Energy Data Initiative (OEDI) or the UK.

These are just a few examples of solutions and data sources that highlight the impact that opening up energy data can have on our environment, both in terms of cost savings and efficiency gains. We invite you to share other open data solutions and portals in comments.