The visualization challenge was an opportunity for students to work in teams to create graphs using energy smart meter data.
Some of the students had no prior experience in data analytics or programming, and so had the opportunity to explore the use of smart meter data in communicating energy usage statistics for the first time.
Yi Qun Zhu, a Smart Energy and the Built Environment MSc student, and whose graph is featured above, said:
I thoroughly enjoyed turning data into plots that conveyed digestible information. I was a project manager of rooftop solar PV projects in Toronto Canada, and I had access to lots of data from projects in operation. Sadly, I noticed I rarely (almost never) touched that data. [Our first module] Introduction to Smart Energy Data and Statistics, gave me my first exposure to using R in the 3 lectures and tutorials leading up to reading week. I realized I had gained the knowledge to make useful data plots and the exercise served as an effective practice of what I had just learned in class. It was a trial and error process, it felt great when I could output the plot I had in mind. Not knowing how to make the exact plot I wanted actually left me wanting to learn more about R, and I had a lot of fun along the way."
Smart Energy and the Built Environment MSc
Smart energy technologies and services in buildings, towns and cities can have the power to our energy system, making it more whilst ensuring resilience and security of supply, and controlling costs. This new Master's from UCL Energy Institute trains students to be at the forefront of this revolution in smart energy and the built environment. Find out more about the programme.
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