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UK’s first agnostic energy management system goes live

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Renewable energy startup Swarm, supported by an embedded Opencast team, has launched a UK first – a home energy management system that works across renewable devices from different providers.

Eight Opencast people working on the project share their personal perspectives – and their hopes for its impact overall.

Andrew 'Frankie' Howard, Director of Private Sector Growth

“We originally identified the opportunity with Swarm and helped establish the innovative funding along with Opencast’s executive team and Swarm.

“What excited me was the technical challenge of directing power based on people’s needs, their tariff, their usage, weather forecast and national grid requirements, in an industry where there's no open standard between solar manufacturers. That’s a particularly difficult technical challenge.

“The impact has the potential to be profound: reduce people’s bills, reduce payback periods, increase solar adoption, potentially help people out of fuel poverty, reduce CO2 consumption and support the national grid in times of need. It also gives our Opencast consultants a chance to work on innovative technology: IoT, machine learning and near real-time orchestration - something inspiring that will create jobs in the North East.”

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Clare Welch, Senior User Researcher

“Throughout my time on Swarm, I have spoken with different users and identified their needs, motivations and pain points. Many of these users are Swarm’s early adopters and first customers, which is really exciting. The Hub:One’s first users’ insights have helped to shape and inform the product and service direction.

"The role of technology in the energy space is crucial, but it is equally important to take a user-centred approach, as we have with Swarm, to ensure that the product and service meets user needs. It’s been a real privilege working with Swarm, which is at the forefront of innovating and introducing renewable energy technologies to the market.”

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Barbara Mertlova, Senior Service Designer

“Working on Swarm has been an amazing, unique opportunity for me as a service designer. We are developing a first-to-market, untested product with a variety of technical logic enabling the software to perform. What's even more exciting though, is that this is a textbook service design scenario, yet one we don't often see in the types of public sector work we engage in at Opencast.

"We have a physical product in the Swarm Hub:One device with associated manufacturing processes and technical provisioning. There's a front and back-end of the digital product, and third-party systems like the CRM. Underneath all that run business processes that support the service end-to-end and require designing. And these all need to speak to each other. Helping ensure that all of that comes together and there's no friction in the handover points has been an enormous, but really exciting challenge and the team has really taken this head on.”

Ros Grindrod, Head of Security Services

“We were able to aid Swarm in achieving notable success by complying with the product security and telecommunications infrastructure (PSTI) legislation, significantly enhancing its cybersecurity controls and receiving a certification of compliance. This included adopting secure coding practices, conducting regular security audits, and implementing robust data protection protocols. By focusing on risk assessment and management, Swarm identified and mitigated potential vulnerabilities early in the development cycle.

"The implementation of advanced security testing tools, such as static and dynamic application security testing, fortified their defences against cyber threats. These efforts not only met regulatory requirements but also deepened the maturity of their cybersecurity posture. Swarm's proactive approach has fostered a culture of security awareness, built customer trust – and is a testament to their commitment to cyber security.”

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Ashton Carter-Ridgway, Talent Manager

“I've developed Swarm’s talent approach by setting up advertising, applicant tracking system, job descriptions, interview plans, interview questions, interviewer communities and training to those who are participating. While recruiting 16 roles, we recruited seven people in three weeks. It's been nice to be working in a start-up environment again and see how reactive and energetic everyone is to make an impact and create change.

"I'm excited to see the Hub:One launch and working in people's homes. The thing that I'm looking forward to most is watching Swarm's success in the global market. They're recognised internationally by some big players already, but to see them solidify their brand internationally is super exciting.”

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Andrew Murray, Solution Architect

“I was very excited to be invited to work on the Swarm project as a solution architect and worked closely with the team to develop a design for the AEM element of the solution. I also worked with a Technical Architect to design solutions for data storage and encryption. Swarm has been one of the most exciting and challenging projects of my career and it has been a privilege to work alongside so many talented and creative people.

"Watching complex technical challenges being solved and the solution take shape has been immensely rewarding. Renewable energy is critical to all our futures and I have no doubt that Swarm will play a leading role in opening up the benefits of sustainable energy management to a much wider audience.”

Oliver Slade, Lead Software Developer

“Participating as a developer on the Swarm project was a deeply fulfilling experience. The part of the project I worked on focused on using linear algorithms to address home energy import and export efficiency, a new and exciting field for me. One of the most challenging yet fascinating aspects was working with a linear solver and it's constraints. Handling and integrating complex datasets from a variety of sources required significant effort and learning, but it was immensely rewarding to see our models and solutions take shape.

"This project not only broadened my technical skills but also deepened my understanding of energy solutions. The innovative nature of our work, coupled with the opportunity to contribute to a greener future and peoples energy independence, made this project particularly inspiring and memorable.”

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Chris McKie, Product Owner

“This project is truly unique for Opencast. Working from a brief of a concept, we created and have delivered an iterative product roadmap, starting from device and algorithm investigations and proofs of concept, through alpha testing of a physical device, and on again through beta testing, to the point where Swarm can release the product at scale.

"Looking ahead, the device has further features to add to its arsenal, which will make it even more indispensable to green homes. We have worked collaboratively with Swarm at every stage, whilst supporting the scaling of Swarm’s internal operations, so they are prepared to support the impending scale. Together we have created what we believe is the next era of the green home revolution – a device-agnostic solution that will intelligently automate your home’s energy management (effortless efficiency). This is truly impactful for both the individual, and the wider grid upon which we all depend.”

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