Data mining tech wins the day at Melbourne "Energy Hack"

A software platform that mines data and uses machine learning to boost household energy efficiency has taken out top honours at Energy Hack 2016 – a two-day energy and technology brainstorm held in Melbourne over the weekend. The event, hosted by the University of Melbourne's Energy Institute and upstart online electricity retailer Powershop, brought together 80 participants to form 20 teams to unlock ideas and stimulate entrepreneurship in the energy industry. Eight judges saw pitches for 13 creative technology ideas, ranging from an energy management chatbot, to a matchmaking service for renewable energy project owners and investors, to an app to educate primary school children, and an energy load matching algorithm. The winners, a team of PhD students called Planet Lovers, were chosen for their design of a platform that uses data mining techniques and machine learning to help consumers use energy more efficiently. "We believe that existing energy services don't use the full potential of big data to provide deep insights for consumers," said Planet Lovers co-founder Zahra Ghafoori.