Business & Information Systems Engineering

The number of electric vehicles, heat pumps and battery storage systems in Germany is increasing every year. The DataFleX research project explores how these decentralized flexibilities can be digitally interconnected and used in a market-based way within the energy system. The aim is to avoid grid congestion, integrate renewable energy more efficiently and contribute to a climate-friendly and affordable energy system.

While fossil-based large power plants have increasingly been phased out in recent years, the number of decentralized assets for flexible electricity generation and consumption, such as electric vehicles, heat pumps and home battery systems, is growing. These so-called decentralized flexibilities offer potential for a climate-friendly, affordable and stable energy system due to their ability to quickly adjust electricity consumption and generation. They could help balance fluctuations in electricity generation from renewable energy sources but are currently hardly used systematically for this purpose.

This is where the DataFleX project comes in. Our aim is to advance the digital interconnection of the electricity, mobility and heating sectors and to make decentralized flexibilities usable for the energy system. To achieve this, previously separate data ecosystems are being integrated, and new market mechanisms are being developed. These mechanisms enable flexible consumers and storage systems to be specifically integrated into congestion management and allow the utilized flexibility to be appropriately compensated.

Through pilots, DataFleX demonstrates how decentralized flexibilities can be used in actual grid situations. Fraunhofer FIT contributes its expertise in digital data spaces and platform architectures and develops concepts for secure data exchange and integration of involved stakeholders into a data-driven energy system. Participating assets are digitally interconnected and integrated into congestion management via aggregators. The insights provide important foundations for the further development of a data-driven energy system and demonstrate how digital sector coupling can make a decisive contribution to the energy transition.