UK Power Networks’ Distribution System Operator (DSO) has launched a new open-source coding toolkit to help researchers and energy businesses quickly turn electricity data into insight faster.
Energy data users such as renewable generators, flexibility providers and researchers can now use the DSO’s ‘Python package’ to discover, filter, combine and analyse datasets from UK Power Networks’ Open Data Portal. This includes working with the latest figures on flexibility dispatches and power flows, without needing to manually search for data, request it from different sources or write code to connect directly to raw data feeds.
Developed in collaboration with researchers at the University of Birmingham, as part of efforts through the Supergen Energy Networks Hub to improve data accessibility, the Python package gives users a simple and consistent way to work with datasets.
The toolkit will enable users to spend less time preparing data and more time doing the work that matters – whether that is forecasting trends, analysing network behaviour, exploring flexibility markets or supporting research and business decisions that contribute to Great Britain’s transition to a lower carbon future.
The coding toolkit is free to use and available through Python’s packaging index and on GitHub, with ten tutorials, reference documents and API guidance to support users from beginner to advanced level. Users can raise issues, suggest examples and contribute improvements, helping the library evolve with user needs. It also uses AI to automatically update the package to any changes or new data on the Open Data Portal, maintaining reliability for users as the data evolves.
Dr Jamie Bright, data science and development manager at UK Power Networks’ DSO, said, “Python is widely used across the energy sector for research, forecasting and modelling, but working with APIs and raw data can still be a real barrier for people trying to use open data in practice.
“This is about making our data more accessible to a wider range of users. Whether someone is just getting started or already working at an advanced level, the Python package helps them use our data more quickly, more consistently and with greater confidence.”
Dr Daniel Donaldson, assistant professor in the Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering at the University of Birmingham, said, “Too often, researchers spend more time preparing data than actually carrying out research. The DSO’s Python package helps remove that barrier, providing a faster and more practical way to start working with real network data.
“That not only speeds up research but also gives students valuable experience using the kinds of datasets and tools they are likely to encounter in industry.”
Explore the Python package here: GitHub – UKPN-DSO/ukpyn: UK Power Networks Distribution System Operator open source python package to interact with our Open Data Portal and unlock value. · GitHub
