Accelerating low-cost electrification across the globe.
Centre for Net Zero is a non-profit, open energy research institute, established by the Octopus Energy Group. We operate autonomously and set our own research agenda.
We combine large-scale trials, advanced modelling and the real-world deployment of flexible demand to demonstrate the benefits of clean energy systems. We share our work openly, supporting governments, policy-makers and grid operators.
Our multi-disciplinary team is made up of leading venture builders, data scientists and engineers, economists, strategists, and policy experts.
Our focus
SIMULATE
Model how flexibility reshapes energy systems
Our modelling analyses how flexible demand can minimise fossil fuel use, reduce marginal emissions and costs, and improve grid efficiency under different system conditions. It quantifies where and when flexibility has the greatest effect, providing evidence for policy, market design, and future system planning.
TEST
Run rigorous, large-scale consumer trials
Our field experiments and randomised controlled trials measure how different consumers adopt low-carbon technologies and optimise their energy use, including through the use of automation and AI. This generates novel empirical evidence on the scale, reliability, and distributional characteristics of flexible demand.
MOBILISE
Leverage insights to unlock system change
Drawing on the insights from our modelling and trials, we deploy flexibility at scale to show what happens when demand is treated as an active part of the system. We publish our research openly and work closely with policymakers, system operators, and innovators to turn evidence into system change.
Relationship with
Octopus Energy Group
Our relationship with the Octopus Energy Group (OEG) allows us to learn from millions of global customers, through billions of data points generated each day - and international field trials.
OEG is a global clean energy tech business, driving the affordable, green energy system of the future. Its operations span around 30 countries and the entire energy value chain, and it services 10 million households and businesses globally.
We operate autonomously, pursuing our mission to accelerate the journey to a fully sustainable, global energy system.
Funded by a blend of industry (OEG), government, and philanthropy, we share our data openly with local and national governments, grid operators, and researchers to empower decarbonisation efforts.
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Octopus Energy Group spans around 30 countries across 5 continents, and services 10 million households globally.
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Rows of data that Octopus Energy produces each day, that Centre for Net Zero can access.
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The number of Octopus Energy customers in the largest randomised control trial run by CNZ to date, as part of the Demand Flexibility Service '23-'24.
