DIMOS – Digital Identity Management and Ecosystem Development
Digital machine identities as a key enabler for a connected energy system
How can millions of energy assets securely, automatically and reliably communicate with each other in the future? This question lies at the heart of the DIMOS project. The project is led and implemented by the Future Energy Lab of the German Energy Agency (dena) on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). As part of a consortium comprising research, the energy industry and legal expertise, FfE contributes to the development of a proposal for a robust trust architecture for digital machine identities in the energy system.
The energy transition needs digital identities
The energy system is undergoing a profound transformation. Photovoltaic systems, battery storage units, heat pumps, charging points for electric vehicles and smart metering systems will interact with each other on a large scale in the coming years. For these actors to work together efficiently, information must be exchanged securely, and technical characteristics must be verified reliably.
While people and companies already use established procedures for digital identification, a comparable infrastructure for technical assets is still lacking. This results in media discontinuities, manual data entry, redundant checks and limited opportunities for automation. This is precisely where DIMOS comes in. The project aims to develop a trust architecture that enables digital machine identities and thereby lays the foundation for a secure and interoperable digital energy world.
What are digital machine identities?
Digital machine identities can be understood as digital ID cards for technical assets. They enable the unique identification of a machine as well as the verifiable provision of relevant information, for example on operators, locations, technical characteristics or authorizations.
This allows assets to communicate with each other automatically and participate in digital processes. Applications range from asset onboarding and data exchange in data spaces to grid-supportive control of flexibility. Digital machine identities therefore create an important prerequisite for the scalability and digitalization of the energy system.
From DIVE to DIMOS
DIMOS builds on the results of the predecessor project DIVE (“Digital Identities as Trust Anchors in the Energy System”). DIVE had already shown that digital machine identities are technically feasible and offer considerable added value for energy industry processes.
With DIMOS, the next step is now being taken: the focus is no longer solely on technical feasibility, but on the development of a broadly compatible identity ecosystem for practical application. To this end, existing solution approaches are analyzed, requirements from the industry are collected and specific use cases are examined. The result is intended to be a robust framework for action that takes technical, regulatory and organizational aspects into account in equal measure.
FfE’s role in the project
The FfE contributes its energy industry expertise to the scientific support of the project. Together with the project partners, practical requirements are systematically collected, stakeholders are involved and potential use cases are analyzed. The aim is to closely align technical concepts with the needs of grid operators, metering point operators, asset operators, manufacturers and other market actors.
Developing a trust architecture together with the industry
The development of a trust architecture can only succeed if the relevant actors in the energy system are actively involved. DIMOS therefore relies on continuous stakeholder dialogue. Companies, associations, authorities and other market participants contribute their requirements, experience and perspectives to the project.
Together, the project investigates central questions:
- Which roles and responsibilities are required for an identity ecosystem?
- How is trust established between the actors involved?
- Which regulatory frameworks need to be taken into account?
- How can existing infrastructures and standards be integrated?
- Which use cases offer the greatest benefit for the energy industry?
Outlook
In the coming years, digital machine identities could become a fundamental infrastructure for the energy transition. They enable the secure identification of assets, reduce manual process steps and create the basis for automated machine-to-machine communication. In doing so, they make an important contribution to a digital, efficient and resilient energy system.
With DIMOS, an important step is now being taken to turn technological possibilities into concrete solutions for practical application. FfE looks forward to actively shaping this process together with partners from the energy industry, research and policy.
Client
Future Energy Lab of the German Energy Agency (dena) on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE)
