Centre for Net Zero
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centrefornetzero.bsky.social
Centre for Net Zero
@centrefornetzero.bsky.social
🐙 Energy research institute, founded by the Octopus Energy Group. Operating autonomously.

⚡️ Advancing tech-enabled energy systems that benefit humanity.

📊 Check out our research, papers & data: www.centrefornetzero.org
3️⃣ Intelligent managed charging provides significant provides significant load shifting across all markets, with EV charging demand spiking by an average of 0.4 kWh overnight.
November 20, 2025 at 10:04 AM
2️⃣ Customers quickly get used to automated charging, with charging overrides decreasing over time – indicating that automation strategies are successful in meeting customer needs.
November 20, 2025 at 10:04 AM
1️⃣ AI-managed charging works everywhere, with customers regularly plugging in in the evening, and plugging out in the morning, to take advantage of cheap periods of electricity.
November 20, 2025 at 10:04 AM
🚨 We’ve updated our open access generative AI model, Faraday, which outputs synthetic smart meter data

❓ This latest version has locational awareness AND is trained on even more of the latest @octopus.energy customer data

🚪 Want access? You can sign up directly - check out details & 🔗 in 🧵
November 6, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Check out our key recommendations 👇
September 25, 2025 at 11:02 AM
💡 Can the UK leverage renewables to power data centres at speed and low cost?

🆕 Our latest analysis compares the cost & speed to power data centres in the UK by leveraging renewable microgrids versus nuclear small modular reactors

Check it out 🔗 + 🧵 microgridai.centrefornetzero.org
September 25, 2025 at 11:02 AM
🚗 Can AI make EV charging cheaper and greener?

CNZ ran the world’s largest AI-managed EV charging trial with 13,000 UK households. Check out the results 👇

Summary & working paper 🔗 www.centrefornetzero.org/papers/ai-in...
September 17, 2025 at 8:21 AM
⚡ Britain's high electricity costs aren't a net zero problem — they're a legacy of outdated markets designed for fossil fuels

🖊️ CNZ’s Chief Economist @rmetcalfe.bsky.social wrote to @economist.com about the root causes of high UK energy prices

👇 Check out this week’s print edition or see link in 🧵
September 1, 2025 at 8:36 AM
📢 Open data community OpenSynth is expanding beyond demand data. Our first grid topology dataset, RTE7000, is now live!

It contains a series of snapshots in node-breaker topology of the 7k nodes across the 🇫🇷 transmission grid

👇 Learn more via our blog: www.centrefornetzero.org/news/opensyn...
August 6, 2025 at 10:07 AM
🤔 What happens when homes switch to heat pumps?

🌡️ Check out NEW updates to our HP paper - ft additional temperature analysis: www.centrefornetzero.org/news/what-ha...

🔗 Working paper: www.centrefornetzero.org/papers/decar...

@rmetcalfe.bsky.social @lbernard.bsky.social @the-scheining.bsky.social
July 29, 2025 at 9:05 AM
🥵 As @metoffice.gov.uk has highlighted today, extreme weather is a new UK norm. But how to harness the corresponding abundance in ☀️ & get the benefits to consumers that need it most?

Check out results from CNZ's research trials in @businessgreen.bsky.social👇 www.businessgreen.com/opinion/4516...
July 14, 2025 at 11:46 AM
🚗 Can dynamic pricing slash the cost of public EV charging?

🔍 Last month we released the results of the world's first national study evaluating the impact of a demand flexibility approach to public EV charging - covered by @politico.com @eenews.bsky.social 👇

See 🧵 for more info
June 3, 2025 at 10:53 AM
This work has important implications for grid flexibility, renewable integration, efficient infrastructure use, and policies for public EV charging:
May 21, 2025 at 11:14 AM
3️⃣ The result? Substantial consumer welfare gains from dynamic pricing. For consumers without access to home charging, it offers the potential to reduce EV running costs to levels comparable to - or below - those of petrol vehicles.
May 21, 2025 at 11:14 AM
2️⃣ Price signals create demand at discounted chargers during periods of high renewable generation, rather than displacing demand from other available charge points.
May 21, 2025 at 11:14 AM
What did we find out?

1️⃣ EV drivers are highly responsive to price signals in public charging. A 40% price reduction led to a 117% increase in charging demand. A smaller 15% price cut still resulted in a 30% increase.
May 21, 2025 at 11:14 AM
🚗 Are EV drivers responsive to public charging prices?

🆕 Check out our latest paper: 'The Impact of Dynamic Prices on Electric Vehicle Public Charging Demand: Evidence from a Nationwide Natural Field Experiment'

Find out more 🔗 www.centrefornetzero.org/papers/the-i...

Details in 🧵
May 21, 2025 at 11:14 AM
🚀 NEW policy paper: Synthetic Data for Smart Energy: Applications for AI-Generated Smart Meter Data

📣 Our latest paper details 5 key applications, from green finance to network modelling, featuring insights from UK, US & Europe

Check it out 🔗 www.centrefornetzero.org/papers/synth...

Summary in 🧵
April 24, 2025 at 8:51 AM
❓ How is #GenAI being used to create high value synthetic energy datasets at speed and scale? And how can we use this to decarbonise global energy systems?

📅 Join us online next week to find out, on 24th April at 16.00 BST

🎟️ Sign up now 👉 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/decarbonis...

See 🧵 for details
April 15, 2025 at 9:33 AM
❓ How can we use synthetic smart meter data to accelerate global energy transitions? What do emerging, real-world applications look like?

📣 Join us for the online launch of our new policy paper on 24 April at 16.00 BST to find out!

🎟️ Sign up now 👉 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/decarbonis...
April 2, 2025 at 10:28 AM
#EnergyUnplugged is back with episode 234! This week features Centre for Net Zero's CEO, Lucy Yu, and Jon Norman, President of Hydrostor. They join @auroraer.bsky.social's Head of Research for Western Europe & India, Marc Hedin to discuss clean power grids 🍃💡

🎧 Check it out 👉 auroraer.com/podcast/
March 12, 2025 at 9:44 AM
🏠 What happens when you install solar PV and batteries on fuel-poor households in the UK?

📊 Using real-world evidence from @octopus.energy customers, CNZ has done some early analysis whilst we run a randomised control trial.

Check it out 👉 www.centrefornetzero.org/news/evaluat...
February 27, 2025 at 10:56 AM
📰 Thanks to @financialtimes.com for publishing our call for the cost of public charging to fall, to unlock the next wave of EV adopters

🚗 We're doing a trial w/ @octopus.energy funded by the Department for Transport to understand the £ elasticity of public charging demand

👀 Results out in April!
February 11, 2025 at 1:56 PM
❌ Access to data is 🔑 to the acceleration of AI development in energy. But it's hard to share demand data due to privacy issues.

🇺🇸 CNZ joined @eprinews.bsky.social's AI & DX in Electric Power Summit in Cali to show how we're overcoming this via the creation of synthetic smart meter data. Info in 🧵
February 6, 2025 at 11:14 AM
💡 It’s time to fundamentally rethink building performance as we decarbonise energy systems

📣 CNZ & @energysyscat.bsky.social are calling for a measurement of a building’s ability to flex its demand to align with clean electricity

Summary 🔗 bit.ly/3PV1ISE
Full report 🔗 bit.ly/40Cpo31

Details in 🧵
January 29, 2025 at 12:41 PM