SSEN and UK Power Networks partner for EV growth

Two energy firms have partnered on support for the transition to EVs, they have announced.

The Skyline partnership will see SSEN and UK Power Networks work together collecting data alongside car dealerships and charge point operators to target investment.

Working with the Energy Innovation Centre (EIC), ElectraLink and CrowdCharge, the Skyline project will enable the networks to to pinpoint when and where new electricity demand to charge electric vehicles is coming from. It will also work with third parties to share early visibility of new EV registrations and new charge point connections to help electricity networks plan for the projected increase. 

The project will develop a new digital platform connected to a data-driven Application Programming Interface (API), which will allow multiple data sources to feed in crucial data for early visibility of EV uptake. This will create an automatically updated database. 

Digital firm CrowdCharge will develop the computer platform and EV database for the project, and energy market central body ElectraLink will provide the API.

The move was made due to growth in EVs and ensuring electricity demand can be met. Recent SSEN research suggests there could be an increase of 11,000% in the number of EVs on UK roads by 2050. Data analysts at UK Power Networks forecast that the 99,000 EVs currently in its areas are due to rise to 3.6m by 2030. 

Richard Hartshorn, EV Readiness Manager for SSEN said: “Project Skyline will allow us to be proactive through the EV transition, giving us timely insight into when and where new demand will emerge. It will identify areas with high EV uptake to ensure power supplies stay reliable and smooth the customers’ journey as they switch to cleaner transport. We hope this will actively support the uptake of EVs in our licence areas. 

“We are delighted to be working with our fellow DNO, UK Power Networks on this project. With over 11m customers between us, this partnership gives us a large bank of stakeholders to engage, which will deliver the best possible learnings on their preferred approaches to data sharing.” 

Ian Cameron, Head of Customer Services and Innovation at UK Power Networks, said:  “We’re forecasting a 36-fold increase in EVs over the next ten years. It’s critical that we do everything we can to facilitate that growth to pave the way for a Net Zero carbon emissions future. 

“We’re delighted to be working collaboratively on this project with our fellow network operator and the wider transport sector to join up our combined expertise and make that revolution a reality.” 

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