Seer Data and Analytics was invited to contribute to a submission by the Energy Security Board (ESB) as part of their development of the initial reforms outlined in the Energy Security Board Data Strategy. The submission advocates for communities and not-for-profits to be included in the Energy Security Board Data Strategy so communities can take control of their own energy futures.
The purpose of the ESB is to cultivate, in collaboration with market bodies, a modern energy system that improves on the existing national electricity market to meet the unique and changing needs of consumers.
The ESB data holders and users include a broad mix across Commonwealth, State, not-for-profits and commercials and as such, are not covered by the Data Transparency Act.
The submission calls for inclusion of the board, as well as communities, in the Data Transparency Act, to cultivate greater sovereignty over their energy futures. This is a crucial cross sector proof point for data as an enabler of freedom of information, self-determination and data sovereignty.
The ESB currently have a series of initial reform documents out for consultation and review, designed to remove regulatory barriers and enable more effective access to data. However, in following the lead of the Data Transparency Act, the ESB reforms being implemented in their own state-based energy regulations do not include community or not-for-profits.
As outlined in the submission, Seer Data and Analytics identified limitations in the Data Strategy that could exclude key stakeholders from supporting the energy market transition. Seer propose that the effective nexus of public interest data collaboration includes three sectors – community, government and academia.
According to the leaders at the ESB: “our data needs are increasingly localised – with distributed energy systems like solar taking over the sector. So, we are trying to build more access to community scale data. And communities will increasingly be seeking local-scale energy data to deliver local solutions”.
Get in touch with the Seer team here if you would like to know more.
