Dena Presents Concept for Energy Data Room

October 15, 2026

Source: E & M powernews

The German Energy Agency has examined future data exchange in the energy sector in a study. A new digital infrastructure could help.

The German Energy Agency (Dena) aims to fundamentally advance data exchange in the energy sector by 2032. A study presented describes the establishment of a so-called “energy data room,” through which grid operators, energy suppliers, metering point operators, and other market participants are to exchange information in the future.

The study was conducted by the consulting firm “c.con” and the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology (IEE) on behalf of Dena, Dena announced.

The background to this is the increasing digitization of the electricity system. With the expansion of PV, battery storage, heat pumps, and charging stations, more and more systems must be coordinated with one another, compounded by dynamic electricity rates and variable grid fees. This requires the reliable exchange of measurement values, price information, and control data between different companies—sometimes on short notice. According to the study’s authors, current market communication procedures are only partially equipped to handle this.

“Federated Infrastructure”

Today’s market communication in the electricity sector is based primarily on the direct exchange of standardized electronic messages between grid operators, suppliers, and metering point operators. To do this, companies use their own IT systems and defined data formats.

However, according to the study, the system is reaching its limits, particularly as data volumes grow and the number of participating companies increases. Discrepancies in data cause additional coordination efforts. Added to this are high costs for the technical integration of new market participants as well as extensive testing when changes are made to existing processes.

The proposed energy data room is intended to reduce these problems through common standards and interfaces. The plan is to implement a so-called “federated infrastructure.” Under this model, information is not necessarily consolidated into a central database. Rather, the data remains with the respective responsible companies whenever possible. These companies continue to decide who is permitted to access the data and under what conditions.

Variable Grid Fees as a Use Case

The authors examined how such data exchange might work using the example of variable electricity grid tariffs. For billing purposes, quarter-hourly consumption values, tariff information, and master data, among other things, must be exchanged between grid operators, suppliers, and metering point operators.

As part of the study, this data exchange was modeled and tested using the “Re4DE” reference system. According to the study’s authors, the data-space-based approach demonstrated advantages over existing market communication methods, particularly in the processing of large data volumes, automation, and the integration of different systems.

“Data exchange in the energy system is a prerequisite for security of supply, competition, and innovation,” explained Dena Managing Director Corinna Enders. She calls for a joint strategic decision by policymakers and the energy industry, as well as long-term, sustainable financing for the new infrastructure.

According to the study’s authors, the transition should take place gradually. Initially, individual applications will be tested under controlled conditions. Subsequently, parallel operation with the existing market communication system is planned before selected processes are migrated to the new infrastructure.

The study “Sustainable Data Exchange via the Energy Data Space” is available for download on the Dena website.

Author: Stefan Sagmeister