New energy data work group launches at Enlit Europe

A new Data Working Group is aimed to guide research, collaboration and innovation in Europe’s energy sector to facilitate its digital transformation.

The Data Working Group, initiated by Smart Energy International editor and Enlit Europe content director Areti Ntaradimou, will focus and elaborate on the European Commission’s Strategy for Data and Cyber Security Directives and identify the ethical dilemmas and potential security issues.

Having the European citizen in mind and by connecting the various stakeholders of the energy sector – utilities, solution providers, associations, academics, aggregators, etc. – the working group will support the work of the European Commission as well as that of the local EU authorities.

“In order to accelerate the energy transition we need data – no question about it,” says Ntaradimou.

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“The how and to what extent we are going to get them and how we are going to protect them, are a few of the questions the Commission and local authorities have to answer. To do so, they need input from the industry experts. And this is where the Data Working Group comes into play. Our goal is to facilitate this discussion and bring all the necessary stakeholders together.”

Over the last few years, digital technologies have transformed the economy and society, affecting all sectors of activity and the daily lives of Europeans. In a society where individuals will generate ever-increasing amounts of data, the way in which the data are collected and used must place the interests of the individual first, in accordance with European values, rights and rules.

Citizens will trust and embrace data-driven innovations only if they are confident that any personal data sharing will be subject to full compliance with the EU’s strict data protection rules.

To become a leader in a society empowered by data, the EU can build on a strong legal framework and its internal market with competitive companies of all sizes and varied industrial base. If the EU is to acquire a leading role in the data economy, it has to act now and tackle, in a concerted manner, issues ranging from cybersecurity to open access and the rights of the consumers.

Some initial points for discussion include open access to data and the roles of the DSO and TSO and issues such as interoperability, how to protect an open data system from a cybersecurity perspective and consumer rights around data.

Members of the Working Group include EDF, TSOs Elia and TenneT, DSOs E-REDES, Enedis and Italgas, data solution providers Grid Singularity, Microsoft and Siemens, consultants Escan Energia, NobileGroup and Velatia, the DLMS user association, the Jheronimus Academy of Data Science and the European Commission’s DG Connect.