To shed light on what this shift means for the sector, end customers, and how UtilityCloud has met the challenge, Chief Revenue Officer Sara sat down with the brains behind the implementation: Stian, Senior Developer, and Christian, Chief Technology Officer. In this interview, they discuss the background, impact, and technical solutions behind UtilityCloud’s readiness for 15-minute settlement.
What does 15-minute settlement mean, and why has it been introduced?
Stian: It means we’re moving from hourly settlement to 15-minute intervals. This is mandated by the EU, which has issued a directive requiring all settlement to happen at a 15-minute resolution. It was originally supposed to take effect on June 1st but was postponed to October 1st because some players weren’t ready. We at UtilityCloud were prepared to deliver by the original deadline.
Why is this important for our customers-and their end users?
Christian: For our customers, it’s about ensuring compliance with the new EU regulations. For end users, the move to 15-minute pricing means there are now four times as many prices each day. This gives engaged consumers more opportunities to shift their usage to lower-cost periods. While it may feel more complex for some, it enables smarter and more informed energy use for those who want to take advantage of it.
How have we solved this technically at UtilityCloud? Did we have to rebuild the whole platform?
Stian: Fortunately, we built the platform with scalability in mind from the start, so a full rebuild wasn’t necessary. The most significant task was rewriting the metered data repository to handle the increased data volume from 15-minute intervals. This rewrite is already in production, using a much more optimized data model for both performance and storage efficiency designed to support four times the data volume.
While 15-minute settlement hasn’t been fully implemented yet, the remaining work is primarily around enabling support in the settlement logic. This is a smaller and more manageable task compared to the data model overhaul. Since we’re going live with this on June 1st, well ahead of Nord Pool’s official switch to 15-minute prices on October 1st, we have a solid runway to fine-tune the implementation across all components.
How does our solution differ from competitors, especially those with legacy systems?
Christian: Many legacy systems were designed in a different era, before today’s data volumes, performance expectations, and regulatory demands became the norm. These systems often struggle to adapt to new requirements like 15-minute values, because their architecture isn’t built for rapid change or high-resolution data. Our platform is cloud-native and modular, which gives us the flexibility to evolve quickly. We’ve also designed our data storage with scalability and cost-efficiency in mind, using a combination of “hot” and “cold” storage to manage large volumes effectively.
Are there any other advantages to how we’ve solved this?
Christian: Yes, all customers get access to new features at the same time, with no need for extra modules or custom upgrades. The platform is also designed to handle both higher-resolution data and different types of measurements, making it ready for evolving needs across the industry.
What about historical data and corrections-how do we handle that?
Stian: We make sure data is available historically, mainly to allow for corrections. For example, if there are errors in metered data that are estimated and later corrected when the final values come in. Our system handles these conflicts automatically during data insertion using an on conflict mechanism. This means we can ingest values in any order, and the system will always ensure the correct value is retained in the end. It provides robustness and flexibility, especially when dealing with late-arriving or updated data.
In summary-what does this mean for a customer choosing UtilityCloud?
Christian: In short: you can be confident that you’ll stay compliant with evolving regulations, run your business-critical processes reliably, and adapt quickly as needs change. The platform is robust, high-performing, and built for automation, reducing manual work and enabling smooth, efficient operations.
Thank you so much for your great answers, Stian and Christian! This was super educational-for me and for anyone curious about how modern energy platforms like UtilityCloud meets new requirements.
Want to know more about UtilityCloud? Contact us at hello@utilitycloud.no