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Since 2015 we have been providing data science and software engineering services to industry. We are experts in environmental data modelling and have worked on over 60 technical projects developing new software tools, performing complex data analysis or undertaking assessments of the impact of weather on infrastructure, supply chains and business operations. Whilst we have experience across many industries, our primary focus is the energy sector, where we are active at different stages of the project life cycle from early stage solar and wind due diligence to assessing electricity network resilience and providing analysis on the impact of weather and climate on future markets.

Our team

Our experts come from a range of industries, covering technical specialisms such as meteorology and climate science, mathematical optimisation, wind and solar engineering, data science and software development. Whilst we have disparate backgrounds, we are united in our desire to use innovative data modelling approaches to better inform strategic and operational decision-making.

At a glance

  • Established 2015
  • Located in Reading, UK
  • 25 dedicated experts
  • + 60 projects in over 15 countries
  • 2 commercial SaaS products

Our core skills

Renewable Energy

We have a growing portfolio of work applying forecasting and optimisation techniques to energy sector challenges. Project examples include the evaluation of forecast accuracy and weather regimes on the economic dispatch and spinning reserve requirements of fossil fuel generators, analysis of factors driving unscheduled downtime for a wind farm and the optimisation of production to minimise energy costs and CO2 emissions.

Weather and Climate

Our applied meteorologists work operationally with data from global forecast providers and run our own in-house WRF meso-scale weather model. We are experts in sourcing and manipulating observational data, forecast verification and performance benchmarking. We have practical experience working with climate reanalysis data and climate model outputs and have developed several applications for ECMWF’s Climate Change Service and Data Store.

Data visualisation

We have many years of experience in data visualisation, with a particular focus on integrating geospatial data with other information sources, including scientific and socio-economic data. We combine a deep knowledge of the scientific principles behind the data with an appreciation of the need to present data in an engaging and meaningful manner that communicates a clear message or enables better decision-making.

Modelling and analysis

We have a wealth of expertise in the development and deployment of data-driven models of virtually every conceivable type. Specific methodological expertise includes deep neural networks, support vector machines, generalised linear models and Bayesian belief networks. We also frequently employ optimisation techniques such as mixed integer programming to identify optimum decision thresholds.

Full stack software engineering

We have many years of experience across all areas of software development, ranging from small stand-alone apps to full-scale commercial SaaS products. Our front-end team writes modern, single page applications which enable intuitive data exploration leveraging our in-house UX design skills. Our back-end team develops GIS-enabled services exploiting the latest containerisation technology and cloud services to deliver secure and resilient performance.

Earth observation

We have significant experience in processing many kinds of satellite imagery (optical, radar, thermal and others) using image analysis and machine learning algorithms. Our projects have included studies of land cover classification, urban change detection, atmospheric composition (e.g. air quality and pollutant analysis) and surface temperature using Earth observation data from both free and commercial sources.

Our leadership team

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Colin McKinnon

CEO

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Colin has overall responsibility for the IEA. He has a background in general management with BP and has spent the last 25 years turning scientific R&D into commercial opportunities through the development of new products, services and start-up ventures. His experience covers data and software, environmental science and engineering. He has worked for early stage companies through to major corporations across a wide range of sectors including energy, infrastructure, oil/gas and the space sector.

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Andrew Groom

Business Development Director

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Andrew leads on developing our commercial strategy and related opportunities. Andrew has science qualifications and a background in technical, analytical and leadership roles. His early career includes over 10 years working in the finance sector for multi-national retail and investment banks. Prior to joining the IEA Andrew spent over 12 years in the UK’s space sector, working as an analyst, consultant, and business development manager at Airbus before 4 years of Director-level roles at CGI.

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Dr Maria Noguer

Head of Data and Modelling

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Maria is an experienced programme manager and is responsible for implementing and directing major projects at the IEA. A Meteorologist by training, she has over 25 years’ experience in climate science research and management, having worked for the UK Met Office as a climate scientist, for the UK Government as a climate adviser and for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as deputy head of the technical support unit.

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Alan Yates

Head of Energy Applications

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Alan is the principal energy consultant at the IEA with over 35 years commercial experience in applied decision support. He oversees the technical development of EnergyMetric, our renewable generation software and is an expert in renewable energy resource assessment. He recently led a project to quantify potential emission reductions for a large-scale industrial electricity consumer. Alan is a Fellow of the Operational Research Society, has an engineering degree and an MSc in Environmental Informatics.

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