Hello, I am a dual student at SAP studying Business Informatic Software Engineering.
In this blog, I will happily share with you the data exchange project I undertook during my practical phase as part of my studies. The practical phase was supervised by the Industry Solution Management for Energy and Utilities Industries – Contact Raik Kulinna.

In my recent work, I embarked on a prototype evaluation of the interoperable transmission of energy data using Eclipse Dataspace Components (EDC). This exciting exploration was objectively targetted not just at understanding the interchange of energy time series in data spaces, but also at unearthing their potential benefits and limitations in the electricity grid. Here, I investigated how EDC’s inbuilt data transfer capabilities, known as Data Planes, can handle the transmission of energy time series.

The exchange of energy time series can potentially allow energy providers to react to fluctuations in the electrical network, hence promoting a more balanced utilization of the electrical grid. EDC provides an avenue for implementing a data space where this transmission can be evaluated and prototyped, to determine the appropriateness of these Data Planes for the task.

One of the vital elements in this work was maintaining independence from hyperscalers during the transfer process. This is a common point of contention with regards to data sovereignty in many companies, underscoring its importance. Against this backdrop, both HTTP and Kafka-based Data Planes were evaluated, focusing on functionalities and implementation within a data space test environment.

To establish the prowess of the Data Planes, speed and error tolerance during the transfer of large data volumes were measured. Excitingly, the results were illuminating. The HTTP Data Plane proved fit for the task, showing itself capable and noteworthy. On the other hand, the Kafka Data Plane was seen as unsuitable, mainly due to vulnerability to errors.

In conclusion, the findings from my work show promising potential that interoperable transmission of energy time series using the HTTP Data Plane within a data space is plausible. This can serve as a future mechanism for exchanging energy time series, enhancing the adaptability and fluidity of our electricity grid. Furthermore, it also serves as a stepping stone towards finding solutions that respect and balance both data transfer needs and data sovereignty concerns.

For those who are interested in delving deeply into this work and desiring to read the entire discourse, please feel free to reach out to me or Raik Kulinna  for further information.