Projects

Completed

Basic and strategic applied research

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Computer Science and Informatics)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting
Other (Energy technology information dissemination)

Project Contact
UK Power Networks

Network Innovation Allowance

Ofgem

30 October 2025

28 February 2026

ENA months

£49,583

Power

London

Network Innovation Allowance

Project Contact, UK Power Networks

The Powercast 2.0 project will build on the success of the original Powercast project, which was completed in 2024 The initial project involved a partnership with ev.energy to design, trial, and roll out a digital solution that provided UK Power Networks' fault data, including both planned and unplanned outages, in real-time via an open API hosted on the UK Power Networks Open Data Portal. This API was accessed by ev.energy, which assessed each power cut against their customer database and notified affected customers via their ev.energy mobile application.The proposed method for Powercast 2.0 involves conducting stakeholder and business research to explore the opportunity and appetite across industry to scaling the use of the Powercast API to more CPOs but also identifying additional use cases across other businesses.Measurement Quality Statement and Data Quality StatementAll data used within this project is for the purposes described above, and therefore quality will be measured on this basis. The project will follow the data quality rules, logging, and prioritising issues as they arise in line with the approved methodology set out in our Enterprise Data Management Policy, which forms part of the UK Power Networks Integrated Management System. The Powercast 2.0 project is a research-focused initiative designed to explore the appetite for and potential applications of the Powercast API across the energy sector. The projects scope is centred on generating insights that will inform future innovation and investment decisions.The scope includes:Internal preparation: Appointing delivery and technical leads, developing engagement materials, and identifying key stakeholders.Stakeholder engagement and research: Conducting desktop research and discovery sessions with CPOs, energy retailers, and public service partners to identify high-value use cases and integration requirements.Use case and integration design: Co-designing use case plans, defining API enhancements, and producing a discovery report and roadmap for potential future rollout.As a research-only project, Powercast 2.0 will not generate direct financial benefits for consumers of the electricity distribution system. Its value lies in the strategic learning it provides, which will support future development of scalable, inclusive, and impactful digital services. The objectives of the project are:Identify and validate high-value use cases:Engage with external organisations to co-discover and document high-impact use cases for real-time outage data.Assess technical integration readiness:Conduct technical discovery sessions with partners and produce a partner integration readiness assessment.Design and document future Powercast API enhancements:Identify priority use cases and likely data requirements to be validated through feedback with stakeholders.Define delivery roadmap and funding plan:Produce a delivery plan, including scoped use case builds, estimated partner onboarding timelines, and potential funding sources.

Powercast 2.0is a research-only project to explore the appetite for wider use of UK Power Networks Powercast API that was developed during the Powercast project. The project will engage Charge Point Operators, energy retailers, and public service partners to identify high-value use cases for real-time outage data. It will assess technical feasibility, stakeholder needs, and integration requirements to inform future development. Powercast 2.0 will generate strategic insights to support inclusive service design, improved outage communication, and future scalability.

24/04/26