ESMIG’s mission is to support its members by representing the views of Europe’s smart energy solution providers on key European policy and regulatory issues and driving a green transition that fully empowers consumers. This is only possible with the help and support of our members. A very good reason to get to know them better!
We spoke with Mannu Rawat, Member of ESMIG’s Executive Committee and Director of Technology Engineering at Data Communications Company to find out more about the company and their thoughts on the role of smart energy solutions.
What is your company’s mission?
The Data Communications Company (DCC) is responsible for designing, building, and running the communications infrastructure that underpins the smart meter rollout in Britain. Our purpose is to make Britain more connected so we can all lead smarter, greener lives.
What drove you to become an ESMIG member?
ESMIG’s mission aligns perfectly with the DCC’s priorities. We are focused on providing a secure and stable service, while building in greater flexibility for future services. Principles such as security by design, interoperability of metering infrastructure and unlocking the value of smart meter data really resonate. By sharing strategy, knowledge and technology direction know-how, this alignment helps DCC and ESMIG to support policy and regulation through collaborative partnerships, which serve to accelerate the EU and UK transition towards Net Zero.
How does ESMIG help your company to achieve your goals and support your company’s mission?
By sharing experiences, best practices and innovations and supporting common policy and regulation activities, we can work together to achieve the mission of a smarter, greener, fairer economy and a sustainable future within the energy market.
What do you see as the biggest challenge and opportunity for the energy industry in Europe today?
Ongoing geopolitical, environmental, and cost of living crises have put energy well and truly in the spotlight, with a need as ever to balance the sustainability, affordability and security of energy supply. The increasing electrification of society requires an upgrade to energy infrastructure – which will require serious investment, alongside policy and technology change. We must also reduce barriers to bringing new decentralised low-carbon generation online and improve storage, all the while addressing the acute skills shortages in our sector. It goes without saying that these changes must go hand-in-hand with increased consumer confidence in data security and privacy.
Addressing these challenges can only be successful through collaboration and partnership with a common purpose and goal so the right outcomes are achieved. I see this as a once in a lifetime opportunity to work together across industry to reduce reliance on fossil fuel generation, lower carbon emissions and accelerate the journey to net zero. Being part of ESMIG allows member organisations to drive the energy transition step by step for a greater shared purpose.
Where do you see smart energy solution providers making a difference in addressing these challenges?
There is a great opportunity for smart metering to enable more demand-side flexibility to help balance and optimise the grid – it is widely accepted that clean power can’t be achieved by supply side changes alone.
The rich insights provided by smart meter data present us with the chance to make a difference for public benefit. With consumer consent and data privacy at the heart of decision-making we must maximise use of this dataset to drive decarbonisation and energy efficiency through innovative solutions such as identifying homes at risk of fuel poverty, driving smart home energy management, and investigating the use of new messages and standards. As a secure endpoint in millions of homes across Britain, smart meters could be used to support additional sensors, for example measuring temperature and humidity which could help to deliver warmer, safer and healthier homes; and thereby returning value to energy consumers.
In an ideal world…we would grasp the opportunity presented by smart meter data: modernising the energy system to be flexible and responsive as we balance, plan, optimise and move toward decarbonisation.
Want to find out more about DCC? Check out their website here.