Smart home control with tablet

© iStock.com/Eoneren

What progress has been made on digitising the transformation of Germany‘s energy system in 2019? Which areas still need improvement? These are the questions that are looked at in an updated "Barometer for the Digitisation of the Energy Transition" by EY (Ernst & Young). The report was commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and was published today for the second time.

The Barometer Report 2019 provides information about the current status of the digitisation of the energy transition: The long-awaited breakthrough in terms of device certification and the required ‘market declaration’ (stating that smart meters may now be marketed) means that the way is clear for the mandatory installation of smart metering systems. According to the report, this marks an important milestone on the way towards digitising the energy transition. The report further states that the standardisation process is also taking on greater shape, and that the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) have started their work on the technical details of the roadmap with clear timelines. Furthermore, the expert report states that considerable progress has been made in the area of market communication. It says that the industry has implemented the Bundesnetzagentur’s [Federal Network Agency's] rules on electronic market communication ("Market Communication 2020"). According to the report, this is providing greater planning security for companies as they seek to fully implement the network-based system for communicating data. An important challenge in the future remains the integration of the end consumer in the digitisation of the energy transition.

According to the experts, the certification of three smart meter gateways and the market declaration for the start of the mandatory rollout have created important momentum, which must be used this year to achieve progress at legal and regulatory level and to move forward with implementing the rollout.

The Act on the Digitisation of the Energy Transition (GDEW), which came into force on 2 September 2016, has redefined smart metering in Germany and established the legal framework for a smart grid fit for the future. In its annual progress reports, the Digitisation Barometer examines progress on implementation of the Act.

The Digitisation Barometer is available here (in German).