SSEN's experts have joined forces with a group of talented students from Oxford University to tackle one of the most pressing challenges of our time: accelerating progress towards net zero.

The students, a mix of undergraduates and postgraduates, participated in a data-driven competition aimed at developing innovative solutions for forecasting local electricity demand and assessing the potential of low-carbon technologies. SSEN's team of data experts provided invaluable support and guidance, sharing their knowledge and insights to help the students navigate the complexities of the energy landscape.

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The competition underscores the critical role of data in shaping the future of the energy system. SSEN's advanced data infrastructure is at the forefront of this technological revolution, providing real-time insights that enable informed decision-making and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future.

Paul Fitzgerald, SSEN's Smart Energy Systems Performance Manager said: "It was an amazing experience to participate in the Oxford Energy competition, partnered with SSEN, to problem solve a task using SSEN's data. The students did an excellent job analysing and finding innovative ways to use various datasets on our Open Data Portal, in particular the smart meter data. We learnt a lot from the event to help further develop our portal and how stakeholders can gain insights into our rich data sources."

Dr Elnaz Azizi, from the Energy & Power group at Oxford University, said: "Brainstorming between academic and industry experts is undoubtedly a catalyst for achieving net zero goals. This hackathon provided a valuable platform for students from the University of Oxford and professionals from SSEN, leading to impressive breakthroughs in data-driven load monitoring and forecasting."