Accelerating data-led innovation in energy: the potential of the the EU Digital Identity and Data Act frameworks

Earlier this year, the European Union unveiled its exciting new ‘Fit for 55’ legislative package which set out pivotal reforms for a more sustainable Europe. Working hand-in-hand with this drive for a greener future also comes an increased EU focus on making Member States ‘fit for the digital age’.

Their ambitions come initially in the form of a European Digital Identity Framework and upcoming new Data Act, two proposed regulations designed to shape and indeed accelerate EU digital transformation. With data access and exchange core sitting at the heart of both, they aim to boost technological innovation and encourage creation of new business models focussed on a frictionless data-led digital economy. For energy, the proposals could have a hugely positive impact – in an industry which still struggles to overcome legacy barriers around data access, streamlining problem areas such as procurement processes could lead to much needed progress.

What is the European Digital Identity Framework?

Also known as the EUid Regulation, the European Digital Identity Framework expands on legislation that was initially set out back in 2014. A central feature of the framework is the creation of a European Digital Identity Wallet which will smooth access to both public and private services for consumers across the EU.

Under the new regulations, official identity documentation, such as passports and birth certificates, can be linked with other certificates such as university degrees to form a secure set of digital credentials, used to authenticate identity for online transactions. Importantly for those raising the inevitable issues around data privacy, consumers will remain fully in control of their own personal data and what they choose to share. In fact, the EU requirement for Member States to establish a toolbox of common standards and guidelines with relation to the Digital Identity Wallet has the potential to actually strengthen data protection by offering a far more cohesive, standardised cross-border approach to data that was perhaps previously fragmented or held in databases with differing security protocols. It should also deliver operational efficiencies for businesses requiring strong user authentication, such as those within energy and transport.

And what is the Data Act?

The proposed Data Act is an important building block that sits within the broader European Strategy for Data published last year. The recent Inception Impact Assessment for the Act sets out how better access to data is essential to develop new products and services across all industries. If adopted, the Data Act would address some of the challenges we see around data access, particularly B2B and B2G (privately held data to public sector), by proposing a far more accessible and flexible framework for data exchange, and fairer distribution of usage rights. It picks up on issues including high initial investment costs of data, the need for a more competitive market for data processing services and the lack of standards, particularly around smart contracts.

The draft Data Act, currently in public consultation phase, is expected towards the end of the year.

What value will this legislation bring to the energy industry?

Despite the prolific nature of data within the energy industry, it remains fragmented and is simply not yet being exploited to its full potential for many of the reasons set out by the EU in the Data Act’s Impact Assessment. As an example, the vast volumes of data generated by electric vehicles are still largely siloed as proprietary by manufacturers and not easily accessible to third parties. This stifles any opportunity for collaboration and as a result puts the brakes on the technological advances needed if the EV sector is to play a vital role in reducing fossil fuel reliance.

In proposing both the European Digital Identity Framework and the Data Act, the EU is recognising the value of data sharing in driving innovation, improving decision-making and enabling greater all-round operational efficiency. Indeed, the Impact Assessment highlights specifically that the type of data generated through industrial use, such as renewable energy sources or perhaps commercial smart meters, will ‘grow at exponential scale of the years to come’ and has ‘untapped innovative potential in secondary and tertiary uses…through the development of novel services that rely on access to such data.’

This is absolutely accurate. We’ve previously discussed in our White Paper [LINK] how enhanced data connectivity enables organisations to participate in a broad developer ecosystem, opening up new revenue streams and increasing visibility to new markets. It offers the potential of expanding the Energy-as-a-Service business model, which relies so heavily on data and digitalisation. The more flexible data access and the benefits of the Digital Identity Wallet described by the EU are entirely in line with the aims of the energy industry to deliver a more consumer-centric system – a smarter, more efficient system, working digitally end-to-end with benefits to both consumer and energy business.

These reforms also acknowledge the need to improve the commercial processes involved in the data exchange itself. Currently, procurement processes for inter-organisational data access are still carried out largely offline, making them extremely cumbersome and economically draining. Procuring data, particularly from private organisations such as OEMs, can be prohibitively expensive for SMEs. We already know that taking an API-approach to data can unlock the flow of information by standardising data transfer technology. Using an API marketplace such as that offered by re.alto further streamlines the process by providing a fully integrated digital transaction service, including contract management and centralised governance. This is the direction that energy needs to take on a far broader scale when it comes to data, and we can be sure that the Data Act will help drive this forward by reducing any friction and establishing a smooth data flow within a wider, competitive data economy.

Explore more

News

News

News

News

News

Integration with BMW

e-Vehicle data hub Integration with BMW published 30.03.2022 BMW now available over re.alto Connect API   At the end of last year, we announced the launch of re.alto Connect. This product offers cloud-based, assetless connectivity to various kinds of high energy consuming applications at home and now also enables connectivity to

Read More »

News

re.alto named in top 100 energy start-up list

re.alto renewable data hub re.alto named in top 100 energy start-up list re.alto has been named as one of the SET100 start-ups, a prestigious list which celebrates the top 100 young companies that are driving the energy transition through innovation and digitalisation. As one of the #SET100 Start-ups of 2021, selected by

Read More »

News

Meet Jean-Pierre Hagen

re.alto news hub Meet Jean-Pierre Hagen, Business Development Manager October 2020   In this new edition of our ‘Meet the re.alto team’ series, we’ve caught up with our Business Development Manager Jean-Pierre Hagen about his engineering background, the early days at re.alto and his thoughts on energy digitalisation.   You

Read More »

News

Meet Dieter Jong

re.alto news hub Meet Dieter Jong – Sales Lead July 2020   You’ve worked in the energy industry for a long time. Tell us a bit about your background and career to date? At the age of 23, I earned the official label of an electrical civil engineer so I

Read More »

News

re.alto is building an energy tariff database

Market intelligence data hub re.alto is buildingan energy tariff database 27.03.23 We’re building an energy tariff database. Here’s why: The energy crisis has made it far more complicated for the average consumer to understand their energy consumption and invoices. For the past couple of years, energy prices skyrocketed in what

Read More »

News

re.alto takes on ABB Electrification Start-Up Challenge

re.alto News hub re.alto takes on ABB Electrification Start-Up Challenge re.alto will be showcasing the innovative capabilities of its energy API platform this month as a finalist of the ABB Electrification Start-Up Challenge. The challenge is hosted by Swiss engineering group ABB alongside its innovation growth hub SynerLeap, in partnership

Read More »

News

New CTO appointment at re.alto

News hub New CTO appointment at re.alto as company prepares to scale re.alto, the European market leader in energy data and digital services, is delighted to announce the appointment of Pepijn Schoen as new Chief Technical Officer [CTO]. With a wealth of experience working with technology-led early stage companies, Pepijn

Read More »

News

Making the EU Fit for 55

re.alto news hub Making the EU ‘Fit for 55’: the trio of legislation, infrastructure and digitalisation In recent weeks we’ve seen the unveiling of ‘Fit for 55’, Europe’s new climate agenda which aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions across the 27 nations by 55% below 1990 levels. The reforms package seeks to bring about a continental green transformation through 12 legislative proposals covering everything

Read More »

News

News

What is ISO 15118

re.alto news hub What exactly is ISO 15118? Looking ahead at the future of EV charging With the new iteration of electric vehicle-to-grid communication interface ISO 15118 expected later this year, we caught up with our Sales Lead Dieter Jong to discuss the so-called Plug & Charge standard and get

Read More »

News

re.alto selected for European Energy Data Access pilot

re.alto news hub re.alto selected for European Energy Data Access pilot re.alto is delighted to announce that it has been selected as one of a small group of organisations to take part in a pan-European pilot scheme aiming to illustrate the value of smart meter data access within the energy

Read More »

News

Meet Pepijn – CTO

re.alto news hub Meet CTO Pepijn Schoen 3rd Jan 2022 In the latest edition of our ‘Meet the re.alto team’ series, we caught up with our CTO Pepijn Schoen to discuss his experiences, and aspirations for re.alto. Tell us a bit about your career to date? Most software engineers are

Read More »

News

Meet Joeri Siborgs

re.alto news hub Meet Joeri Siborgs, re.alto’s Deputy CEO 14.04.2022 In the latest edition of our ‘Meet the re.alto Team’ series, we caught up with Joeri Siborgs, Deputy CEO, to discuss his ambitions for the business and the wider industry. Tell us a bit about your career to date?  Technology

Read More »

News

re.alto obtains ISO 27001 certification

re.alto news hub re.alto obtains ISO 27001 certification 24.06.2022  re.alto is proud to share that we are now ISO 27001 certified. Cloud based optimisation, assetless connectivity and facilitating access to data is our core business at re.alto, and we therefore take data security very seriously. ISO 27001 certification was the

Read More »

News

Meet re.alto’s Connect Platform

re.alto news hub Meet re.alto’sConnect Platform 30.06.2023 re.alto Connect has been around for a while now, but what exactly is it and what can it do? Product Owner Lenny Kraaijenhof describes Connect as “the platform powering innovative energy products”. Although we often refer to Connect itself as a product, it

Read More »

News

re.alto obtains ISO 27001 (2022 version) certification

re.alto news hub re.alto obtains ISO 27001 certification(revised 2022 version) 09.07.2024 We’re proud to share that re.alto has successfully completed ISO 27001 certification, this time for the new, revised version of the standard (version 2022). This update includes new controls to address the needs of modern businesses and evolving technologies, such

Read More »