Energy Sharing: Use Cases from the SkIES Project
Initial Steps of the Overall Project
In the initial months of the project “Scalable Integration of Energy Sharing” (SkIES), Energy Sharing use cases were systematically identified, described, and clustered. These use cases illustrate the wide variety of possible Energy Sharing configurations and therefore constitute an important first step toward structuring discussions both within the project consortium and in the public discourse.
The use cases serve as the foundation for planning Energy Sharing pilot implementations within SkIES, as well as for enabling a clear and structured assessment of the systemic impacts associated with different forms of Energy Sharing deployment—one of the key research objectives of the project.
To develop the use cases, the well-established use-case methodology previously applied by FfE in multiple projects was employed. This methodology was used to systematically identify potential Energy Sharing implementations together with the consortium partners—who represent a wide range of stakeholder groups—clarify the associated objectives and value drivers, and define the involved actors, systems, and processes, including the corresponding allocation of responsibilities required for executing each use case.
This ensures that the consortium establishes a shared understanding of concepts and terminology. At the same time, the method supports the consolidation of partners’ diverse perspectives and interests and facilitates coordinated implementation efforts.
Methodology for Developing the Use Cases
The use-case methodology has been applied at FfE primarily in the context of electromobility. A key preparatory task therefore involved identifying the specific characteristics of Energy Sharing and adapting the methodology accordingly.
Within the context of the project, we define Energy Sharing as the coordinated communal use and generation of electricity within a defined geographical scope, independent of established market roles, and including the use of one or more voltage levels of the public grid. It is important to note that within the project—and therefore also in this initial step of use-case development—we do not restrict the definition to the German regulatory framework for Energy Sharing (§ 42c EnWG).
Regardless of the specific use case, we use the term Energy Sharing Community to refer to all participants involved in an Energy Sharing construct.
Several factors at different levels are relevant for describing an Energy Sharing use case:
- The composition of the Energy Sharing Community (who shares electricity with whom?)
- The governance of the Energy Sharing Community (who is entitled to make which decisions?)
- The objectives pursued by the Energy Sharing Community
- The geographical scope within which electricity is shared
- The manner in which Energy Sharing is integrated into the existing energy-industry framework (including the roles played by other energy-sector actors)
This distinction is essential because, for example, two Energy Sharing Communities with different organizational structures (different participants, different governance) may pursue similar objectives, but the concrete form of implementation required to achieve those objectives depends strongly on how the community is organized.
The project followed the methodology described below:
- Together with the project partners, potential implementation concepts and objectives of Energy Sharing were collected in parallel.
- Seven fundamental implementation types were identified (referred to as baseline use cases).
- For each implementation type, the objectives that can realistically be pursued were assessed (referred to as possible extensions). In total, 29 use cases were derived (each combining one implementation type with an optional extension).
- For each baseline use case, the geographic scope within which implementation is feasible was determined, and it was assessed whether Energy Sharing in that form could or must be partial or full supply.
Insights into Our Results
The following section provides an overview of the identified use cases and briefly explains the seven baseline use cases. In addition, more detailed descriptions of both the baseline use cases and the associated possible extensions are available for download.
Prosumer supplies consumers via bilateral contracts
A prosumer supplies one (or several) consumers directly, without an intermediary, and is exempt from part of the supplier obligations. The allocation of electricity is based on a predefined distribution key.
Collective Self-Consumption
An energy cooperative operates a generation facility and directly supplies its members.
Peer-to-Peer Supply within an Energy Community
An energy community (as an independent legal entity) assumes key responsibilities in the procedural implementation of Energy Sharing. Members of the energy community share electricity bilaterally with one another based on a distribution key.
Energy Community as a Local Energy Market
Electricity from community-owned generation assets, or surplus electricity from members of the energy community, is pooled and distributed among all consumers within the community. A local dynamic price signal may be applied. No bilateral contracts exist between community members. Each member signs only a single contract with the energy community.
Local Electricity Product
An energy supplier offers an electricity product in which surplus electricity from participating local prosumers and/or electricity from local generation plants is supplied to participating consumers. A local dynamic price signal may also be derived. In contrast to the use case “Energy Community as a Local Energy Market,” governance of the electricity product lies with the energy supplier rather than with the participants.
Actor Shares Electricity with Itself
An actor (for example, a company or municipality) produces electricity at one building or site and consumes it at another site, while using the public grid for transport.
Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs)
One company purchases electricity from another company. Although this is not Energy Sharing in the strict sense, technical and procedural requirements—particularly in the context of multi‑buyer/multi‑seller PPAs—are closely related to those of Energy Sharing.
Outlook
We plan on piloting the following use cases:
- Collective self-consumption with optimization of individual self-consumption
- Collective self-consumption with collective optimization
- Local electricity product with incentives through local dynamic tariffs
- Local electricity product combined with aggregation and marketing of participants’ flexibilities within the framework of Redispatch 3.0
Together with the consortium, we are currently working on the detailed definition of responsibilities required to implement these use cases, as well as on preparing their technical realization. For these use cases, so‑called Technical Use Cases are being developed, in which systems, interfaces, and procedural workflows are clearly defined.
Building on this, the project partners will develop the necessary systems and processes over the course of the year, which will be tested in the field in 2027. In the coming weeks, a series of contributions will follow and address concrete questions and options for implementing Energy Sharing from the perspective of various stakeholders.
Please feel free to get in touch if you have specific questions about Energy Sharing, its implementation, or the use cases described here.
Further information:
