Prospect, an open-source data and transaction platform, has been launched with support from the European Union, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and Austria. The platform automatically collects, aggregates, analyses and displays data across modern sustainable energy solutions.
Courtesy A2EI
The programme was launched by the Access to Energy Institute (A2EI) and the European programme GET.invest during the Global Off-Grid Solar Forum and Expo 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda.
Prospect is hoped to optimise real-time data collection, analysis and visualisation to support sustainable energy stakeholders in providing affordable and clean energy access for all. Prospect is supported by the European Union, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Austria.
According to GET.invest, the platform is the first global open-source, product-agnostic, real-time and free-of-charge data and transaction platform that automatically collects, aggregates, analyses and displays data from all modern sustainable energy solutions.
Through such facilitation, it aims to coordinate big data analysis on any product segment, region, and country in near real-time. It tracks energy services ranging from small solar home systems to large mini-grids and grid-connected distribution networks.
Energy identification
The platform employs an “energy fingerprint + heartbeat” methodology that combines customer, technical, usage, maintenance and payment data streams to authenticate performance and impact, while adhering to data privacy policies. It makes multi-layered data available both at the individual system and at project or aggregate level.
According to the developers, the platform allows for instantaneous secure data sharing, empowering users to leverage their data to gain insights, raise finance, prove results and contribute to broader research within the energy sector. It facilitates automatic reporting, monitoring and evaluation and features a built-in transaction functionality to support financing and subsidy disbursements.
Prospect was borne out of the climate technology experiences of two efforts: the Edison data platform, built by the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) to support the Beyond the Grid Fund for Zambia funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida); and the Climate Impact Payments Platform (CLIPP), developed by A2EI to prototype innovative impact monetisation approaches.
“Sida has come to rely ever more on accurate, reliable and up-to-date data in our program planning and decision-making in the energy sector, and with Prospect we are investing in taking our existing efforts to the next level,” said Anders Arvidson of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, one of the donors behind Prospect.
“We are thrilled to see this partnership between A2EI and GET.invest, which will also leverage GET.invest’s deep network and experience in advising and mobilizing investment for off-grid projects and companies.”
Stefan Zelazny, Prospect project lead and managing director at A2EI, explained: “Our mission is to provide a cutting-edge digital platform, advanced data analytics and technical support to anyone who enables, funds or delivers modern sustainable energy to underserved people, and do so reflecting a commitment to open-source and open access.”
“Together with A2EI and with the support from the European Union, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and Austria, we are building next-generation data infrastructure for the off-grid sector that reflects the values of the just transition,” added John Tkacik, who coordinates Prospect at GET.invest.
