In 2025, Energy System Catapult, in collaboration with Arup and Mesh AI, started working on the pilot development phase of the Data Sharing Infrastructure (DSI). As a key component of the NESO-led Virtual Energy System (VirtualES) programme, the DSI aims to transform the energy sector by providing the digital infrastructure and trust frameworks to enable secure and seamless data sharing within the energy sector.

The challenge

As we transition to Net Zero, the shift to low-carbon, distributed energy sources needs to be accompanied by intelligent systems and processes to manage the new energy system composition and retain a secure and stable supply. Therefore, underpinning the Net Zero energy transition is a fundamental digital transformation of the energy sector. Data visibility, and hence, data sharing, is a key component of this.

However, the current approach to sharing data is inefficient, requiring extensive manual workarounds and complex legal agreements on an organisation-by-organisation basis. This leads to not only an overall lack of data sharing but also data silos, inconsistent data standards, and an increased risk of duplicated or misaligned information.

The Solution

To facilitate secure data sharing between different organisations in the sector, the Data Sharing Infrastructure (DSI) was developed. Specifically, the DSI enables organisations to specify and request which data is to be shared; format it according to a standardised template to ensure interoperability; and seamlessly exchange it between organisations. Its core components are set out in figure one.

The DSI is designed around three fundamental functional components: Prepare, Trust, and Share.

Prepare: a cross-sector Data Preparation Node (DPN) The ‘prepare’ component standardises data to ensure its usability across all organisations. Specifically, the DPN allows organisations to:

• Control and specify shareable data
• Align and prepare data to minimum operable standards
• Securely present standardised data through APIs

The DPN sits at the organisational boundary, therefore not requiring organisations to overhaul their own data management systems/processes.

Trust: a sector-wide trust framework Each organisation has its own set of data sharing agreements that define guidelines for data privacy, security, and ownership. The ‘trust’ component aims to provide a framework of rules, risk profiles, and common user attributes that can be applied to multiple data sharing use cases.

Share: a sector-wide Data Sharing Mechanism (DSM) The DSM oversees the technology, security, and governance needed to share data between organisations. It allows organisations to:

• Discover data shared by other actors
• Securely request and pull data through preparation nodes
• Manage data governance and licensing

Solution development:

The need for a solution was first recognised by the Catapult in 2019 with the publication of the Energy Data Taskforce. The taskforce outlined key recommendations to drive a modernised and digitalised energy system, fit for Net Zero. The recommendations address a common hindrance found in the sector: poor quality, inaccurate, or missing data while valuable data is often restricted or hard to find.

In 2022, the Energy Digitalisation Taskforce was published by the Catapult. Within it, we proposed creating a ‘Digital Spine’ to deliver a minimum layer of interoperability across the sector, and a ‘Data Sharing Fabric’ which defined the systems and technologies needed to manage who can access data and how it’s shared. These concepts would be redefined and evolve to become what is now the Data Sharing Infrastructure.

The impact

Feasibility study:

In 2023, as a direct result of the taskforces, the Department of Net Zero and Energy Security (DESNZ) commissioned the consortium made up of Arup, the Catapult, and the University of Bath to conduct a feasibility study on the ‘digital spine’. The study evaluated the viability of the ‘digital spine‘ concept by conducting extensive stakeholder engagement, market research, and utilising internal expertise. Fifteen potential use cases were identified, alongside the data infrastructure and the governance required to implement a data sharing solution. The engagement also found that the term ‘digital spine’ was confusing and ineffective for communicating the solution. Thus, the Data Sharing Infrastructure name was adopted.

The feasibility study highlighted the following benefits and impact of implementing the DSI:

• Supporting the Net Zero transition by enhancing flexibility through the adoption of large volumes of low-carbon and renewable infrastructure
• Lowering overall system costs by facilitating customers to have a whole view of the system and enabling them to easily move assets between markets and service providers
• Enhanced innovation by reducing barriers to entry for innovators and providing them access to the required datasets prepared in a usable format
• Improved resilience by supporting the delivery of a flexible and secure network of assets while reducing the risk of market failure

Pilot development:

In September 2024, as part of the National Energy System Operator (NESO)-led Virtual Energy System programme, the DSI entered the pilot phase. The Catapult and Mesh-AI are supporting Arup to deliver a pilot version of the DSI and a demonstration to showcase its potential. This pilot version will then evolve into a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) in the next programme phase.

The demonstration will be designed to emulate a real energy-sector test case: the Electricity Outage Planning process between NESO, TOs, and DNOs. This is a data sharing use case where the application of the DSI would be able to save enormous amounts of time and effort.

An overarching focus of this phase is to work closely with key potential users of the DSI to further understand their needs, as their support, as well as that of the broader energy sector, is needed for a successful implementation of a DSI.