The Role of Work Package 2 in Building the Framework for the DIGITISE Project

The DIGITISE project aims to enable a more active role for consumers in the energy transition, addressing both environmental and energy sector challenges. Work Package 2 (WP2) plays a foundational role in this project, focusing on analysing requirements, developing a robust architecture, and establishing a verification framework. These steps are essential for creating interoperable and user-centered services that support the energy transition. WP2’s core activities involve understanding the needs of various stakeholders, identifying potential barriers, and developing a flexible architecture that allows for seamless integration of advanced technologies across DIGITISE.

The main tasks in WP2 are designed to provide a structured approach to developing DIGITISE’s innovative solutions. These tasks include defining business scenarios, identifying socio-economic barriers, establishing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), assessing flexibility market structures, and designing a modular, interoperable architecture. By developing these structures, WP2 ensures DIGITISE’s solutions are adaptable, secure, and interoperable, which will enable integration across various technological advancements. These efforts make it possible to align DIGITISE’s solutions directly with end-user needs, translating consumer requirements into functional and accessible services.

 Why DIGITISE is Essential?

Beyond questioning the role of consumers in the energy transition, the DIGITISE project will propose concrete solutions to make this consumer engagement a reality. It is a real research action, not about the possibility of a policy (‘Should consumers play a more active role in the energy transition?’), but mainly about its implementation on the ground (‘What consumers need to play a more active role in the energy transition’).

The project addresses complex questions, such as how consumers can manage new, often technical, responsibilities in energy consumption, and it develops tools and frameworks that support their engagement. 

In terms of the energy transition – but also in terms of the environmental transition – we know many of the technical solutions; we also know that citizens, consumers, stakeholders are part of it, but we don’t yet know how to involve them and what effort each actor needs to make. The DIGITISE project will start from the expectations and thoughts of each of these actors in order to propose a useful tool for them. It will help us understand what risks and opportunities they see in developing energy and digital literacy and what they expect from other actors.

 Aligning Business Scenarios with End-User Needs

The business scenarios in DIGITISE are tailored to meet the needs of various end-user groups in the energy ecosystem, such as data asset owners, aggregators, and proactive consumers (prosumers). These scenarios focus on objectives like improving data access, creating new revenue streams, and enhancing market positioning. Stakeholder workshops, surveys, and feedback loops will be employed to involve end-users directly in defining requirements, ensuring that each scenario addresses practical needs effectively.

 Addressing Business Challenges and Opportunities

DIGITISE’s technological solutions are designed to tackle critical challenges and uncover new opportunities:

• Data Security and Governance: The project places a strong emphasis on data security, ensuring stakeholders can confidently manage, share, and leverage data.
• Revenue and Market Expansion: DIGITISE creates avenues for new revenue and market growth, particularly through AI-driven analytics.
• Operational Efficiency and Cost Reduction: Scenarios focusing on prosumers aim to improve energy efficiency, reduce costs, and decrease reliance on traditional energy sources.

These components align with cross-sectoral requirements identified through stakeholder engagement, making DIGITISE’s solutions both robust and relevant.

 Ensuring Flexibility in Evolving Energy Markets

DIGITISE also supports the development of Local Flexibility Markets (LFMs), which are systems where Distribution and Transmission System Operators (DSOs/TSOs) and consumers can exchange energy flexibility. This approach helps alleviate grid congestion, delays infrastructure investment, and incentivises consumers to adjust their energy use. WP2’s ongoing research into LFMs will assess their development across participating countries, enabling DIGITISE to create adaptable business scenarios that reflect technological advancements and market needs.

 Key Messages for the DIGITISE Project

WP2 provides essential messages that highlight DIGITISE’s impact and objectives:

• Consumer-Centric Action on the Energy Transition: DIGITISE is a hands-on research project that moves beyond policy discussion, focusing on what consumers need to participate actively in the energy transition.
• Data-Driven Energy Solutions: The project enables stakeholders to maximise the potential of their data assets, creating new revenue streams, enhancing data governance, and driving innovation within the energy sector.
• Local Flexibility Markets and Renewable Integration: LFMs empower end-users to support grid stability while encouraging renewable energy integration and providing fair incentives for flexible energy use.

By addressing these goals, DIGITISE aims to create a structured approach to consumer engagement in energy management, supporting both sustainability and technological innovation within the energy sector. Through WP2, the project aligns closely with stakeholder requirements, ensuring that solutions developed are adaptable, secure, and supportive of both consumer needs and the larger energy transition.