Integrated Data and Service Platforms for Smart Energy Networks as a Key Component for Smart Cities

Abstract

In the light of the German national energy system transformation, the so-called “Energiewende”, the requirements for a sustainable energy supply based on renewables are very complex. To address this topic, the project Designetz develops approaches to test how decentralized renewable energy sources and the need for electrical energy can affect the respective network infrastructure levels and how an intelligent information communication technology (ICT) infrastructure can look like, to meet the demands of the energy network of the future, also in the context of smart cities. First results indicate that a transformation towards an increasingly decentralized energy supply is necessary and, particularly in view of the volatility, demands corresponding requirements of the ICT infrastructure. It will be shown how the classic producer-consumer constellation is changed and a multitude of prosumers, i.e. actors, who are both producers and consumers of electricity, arise, and how they can be integrated into the grid structure. Core functionalities will be demonstrated with an integrated data and service platform which also allows the possible integration of supplementary services. In addition, the potential interdependencies from a more decentralized energy network towards regional and urban planning patterns will be assessed.