The exchange of data is playing an increasingly important role in an innovative and sustainable energy market. The exchange of data in Switzerland has so far been organised in a decentralised manner and needs to be optimised in terms of efficiency and interoperability. In cooperation with AWK, E-Bridge has prepared a study on the further development of data infrastructures in the future energy market in Switzerland with a focus on the future, innovative data exchange, the corresponding processes and a GDPR impact assessment.
Today, grid operators are responsible for metering, as well as data and information exchange, especially according to the Swiss industry guideline SDAT (electricity).
Numerous industry trends have a massive influence on the future design of data infrastructures and forms of exchange:
- Smart metering rollout
- Possible liberalisation of metering
- Increase in decentralised generation with need for a central plant register
- Promotion of RE plants (KEV, DV) and ZEV
- Possible development of a CH-wide data hub and plant register
- Enhancing transparency & innovation
These trends were addressed conceptually, and various fields of action were identified. These include, for example, the improvement of data quality/access for all market participants in the sense of the opening of the electricity and gas markets, as well as for the enhancement of innovation and the completion of the database as the basis for the security of supply and the enabling of flexibility utilisation.
In order to address the fields of action, various approaches open up – these include a so-called “data hub” for the efficient management of master data and (if necessary) metering data, the maintenance of a central register for (decentralised) generation and flexible consumption units, as well as quality monitoring and a comprehensive flexibility register.
Based on the requirements of the Swiss electricity market and in consultation with the market players, various concepts for the implementation of an efficient data exchange were developed. The fields of action identified in the process can be used as a basis for the specification in the implementation. The study identified the so-called Datahub Light as a suitable solution for solving the problem and representing the future exchange of data between various players.
