FZI Promotes Data Spaces
Digital infrastructure for Germany's energy future
The energy transition requires digital solutions, and data spaces are the key to an efficient,
flexible, and sustainable energy system. That is why the FZI Research Center for Information Technology supports the position paper on data spaces published by dena – the German Energy Agency – and is
committed to its practical implementation.
Together with 50 other stakeholders, we are calling for the rapid development of data spaces as public digital infrastructure to reduce costs, accelerate innovation, and strengthen digital sovereignty.
Why data spaces are crucial for us as a research institution and for the energy system
- Efficiency: Standardized data exchange reduces manual processes and costs caused by custom interfaces – for a more efficient energy system.
- New business models: Data spaces increase data availability and enable data-driven services, such as those for managing decentralized energy resources.
- Future-proofing: We are committed to interoperable, connectable, and sovereign data infrastructure – for a flexible, stable, and cross-sector energy system.
- Added value: Elimination of data silos, promotion of standardization, clear rules for data use, scalability, transparency, verifiability, and process modernization.
The FZI and data spaces: Smart East in WeForming
Together with 14 partners, we have been developing the real-world laboratory Smart East since 2020—a smart, energy-optimized, and climate-friendly urban neighborhood in Karlsruhe. Thanks to its role as a model for the city’s economic energy transition, Smart East was integrated into the European project WeForming. Across 140,000 m² and 6 properties, PV systems, combined heat and power plants, bidirectional electric vehicle charging stations, air conditioning systems, and battery storage are coordinated and optimized through intelligent control.
To facilitate this coordination, we have also been developing and testing—since the start of WeForming—how data from the neighborhood can be aggregated and processed using energy management services via a data room.
Recommended actions for policymakers and the industry
The dena position paper shows that data spaces are the next logical step for the digital, cross-sector energy transition.
In addition to calling on the business community, it particularly urges policymakers to address the following points:
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Preserving and sharing knowledge: All stakeholders involved in projects to date must share their knowledge and experience regarding Data Spaces to prevent the loss of expertise.
- Rethinking and scaling up processes digitally: Migrating processes to the digital realm takes courage, as does leveraging the opportunities offered by digitalization to redesign them from the ground up. Successful use cases must be integrated into routine operations.
- Establishing data spaces as public digital infrastructure: German policymakers and government agencies must sustain their efforts to support them. A broad alliance with the private sector and targeted policy decisions are necessary to establish sustainable long-term data spaces.
- Strengthening data literacy: Employees must be made aware of the strategic importance of data, and their data processing skills must be enhanced in order to successfully use data spaces.
Material & links:
- Go to dena position paper (in German) "Data Spaces für die Zukunftsfähigkeit Deutschlands"
- dena press release (in German) "Data Spaces für die Energiewende nutzen"
- Go to the Smart East real lab page
- Go to the FZI's Smart East project page
- Go to the website of the European WeForming project
- Go to the FZI's WeForming project page
Let's shape the future together!
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