Dr Zoya Pourmirza is a research associate for the National Centre of Energy Systems Integration (CESI), Active Building Centre (ABC) and leads the theme ‘Security and Resilience’ for the Centre for Energy, whose research interests focus on the digitalisation of energy systems, with particular emphasis on ICT/IoT architecture for smart energy networks, efficient data communication, and cyber security.

CESI Research Associate, Dr Zoya Pourmirza, has been awarded an EPSRC Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAA) grant which is aimed at supporting knowledge exchange and research impact.

This project stems from two research projects originally funded by EPSRC, namely, CESI and ABC. The findings of these two EPSRC projects will feed into the proposed IAA project in collaboration with Energy Systems Catapult, aiming to influence policy around energy systems digitalisation. This project, titled ‘Digitalisation and Digital Twinning of Energy Systems’, will facilitate flexible, responsive, and creative knowledge exchange, benefitting both partners. Finally, this project will accelerate digitalisation of the energy system to fit with the requirements of industry and market and enables meeting the UK’s net zero emission target.

The project has following objectives:

• To deliver policy-oriented outcomes

• To identify gaps in industry understanding around data, digitalisation, Digital Twin, and Cyber Security for energy systems

• To develop a shared understanding of current landscape of digitalisation in energy sector, and plan the next steps, for a future KTP or similar funding application

Receiving this funding has meant we can share the research outputs from both CESI and ABC in creative way to policy makers and industry partners, and also get a thorough understanding of digitalisation within industry. It will be important for accelerating digitalisation of the energy system to fit with the requirements of industry and market and enables meeting the UK’s net zero emission target. I am looking forward to getting started!

Dr Zoya Pourmirza, CESI Research Associate