Blueprint published for Common EU energy data space v2.0

The blueprint for a common European energy data space version 2.0 sets out the current considerations for a framework and general architecture.

Building on the first version of the blueprint published in March 2024, the version 2.0 document outlines the vision of a common European energy data space (CEEDS) and presents detailed strategies to bring this vision to life.

Data spaces are envisaged to play a pivotal role in advancing the digitalisation of electrical energy systems by offering a comprehensive and interconnected approach to managing the complexities of the modern energy landscape.

At the highest level, the CEEDS is foreseen as the common framework that federates multiple different data spaces implemented at national, sub-national level and/or international levels and allows the participation of the single users.

Have you read?
Tech Talk | A framework for a European energy data space
The good, the bad and the safety: AI and data in the energy sector

Different layers are then defined, from the local data space solutions to the federated ecosystem of data spaces, following a decentralised configuration.

Key considerations for deployment are the security and privacy and quality and integrity of the data and the data space governance and policy, while other issues pertain to the data exchange business model, the legal, operational and functional aspects and the data space technology.

A key objective is to ensure interoperability both among internal parties and with other data spaces at technical, semantic and governance levels.

In the proposed architecture, which is consistent with reference architectures such as the Smart Grid Architecture Model used in the energy system, the ‘federated data space’ side refers to where data is indexed, making it discoverable and providing a sort of marketplace for sharing – and possibly trading – both data and data services.

In doing so, the data space will rely on multiple actors and data platforms federating through the data space ‘connectors’ and offering their data under pre-recorded policies, verified credentials, data models and contractual agreements.

Components of this federated side include a trust framework for access and identity management, a log to store usage information, a vocabulary hub, a contractual framework and a publication block cataloguing the data products that are available.

As in v1 of the blueprint, the proposed architecture is modelled on five business use cases that necessitate the integration of data from diverse sources, i.e. collective self-consumption and optimised sharing for energy communities, residential home energy management integrating DER flexibility aggregation, TSO-DSO coordination for flexibility, e-mobility roaming, load forecasting and schedule planning and renewables O&M optimisation and grid integration.

The blueprint v2.0 document was published by the int:net network and states that the cluster of energy data spaces projects is committed to further investigations aimed at enhancing interoperability, offering invaluable insights for large-scale replications.

Moreover, it is an invitation to a broader audience, extending to stakeholders, decision-makers and energy sector professionals, for engagement in translating the vision into reality, as energy data spaces transition from conceptualisation to tangible implementation in real-world scenarios.