EU Launches 'Big Data' Grids Contest

The European Commission launched December 19 a competition, with a €2mn prize, for optimising the use of energy grids through a more precise forecasting system.

It said the prize will be awarded to the winning data analytics solutions that devise an energy grid traffic forecasting system that is accurate, fast and scalable. The three top-ranked contestants will have to develop software solutions that will be designed to analyse extremely large collections of datasets, ranging from time recordings of weather conditions to the operation of energy grid management, the commission added. More information on this so-called 'big data prize' is available here. (The photo above is courtesy of Italian gas grid operator Snam)

Another emerging technology competition was launched last week, when the Commission announced it would award five prizes each of €1mn for the development of 'Blockchains for Social Good'.

Both prizes are funded under Horizon 2020, the EU's research and innovation programme; the general Horizon 2020 portal for how to apply and register for funding is here.

Several energy firms, including recently E.ON with Enel, but earlier this summer also BP with Eni, have trialled the use of blockchain in the trading of power and gas respectively.