ESMIG welcomes the publication of the Action Plan on digitalising the energy system. In this context, proposals regarding access to and sharing of energy data are of key importance. Large amounts of data can be a core asset for the energy transition, to improve system efficiency, savings and empower consumers.
As such, ESMIG fully supports the creation of the “Data for Energy” (D4E) group which will help the Commission in developing and rolling out a common European data space for energy.
ESMIG would be glad to be actively involved and share its expertise through participation in this group, gathering the Commission, the Member States, and the relevant public and private stakeholders for building the European framework for sharing energy-related data. In this respect, energy data must be categorised to regulate the access to the authorised energy market participants (clear rules defining which market participants could access which type(s) of data), define the level of security (access, transmission, storage, and processing) and set the cost of access to a specific type of data.
The implementation of a common European data space for energy can only become a reality if consumers have a smart meter installed in their home and if smart meters are used to their full potential. Smart meters are a crucial enabler of digitalisation in the energy system, however, they have not yet been fully deployed across Europe. While some Member States have completed their roll-outs, others are lagging to the detriment of consumers and energy efficiency.
We particularly welcome that the Commission underlines that for all initiatives outlined in the Action Plan, it is important that consumers have a smart electricity meter installed in their home. Therefore, ESMIG welcomes the Commission’s call on Member States which have not yet achieved the full roll-out of smart meters to speed up their efforts. Where a cost-benefit analysis concluded against the roll-out of smart meters, the Commission calls on Member States to repeat these in light of the Green Deal and REPowerEU.
In addition to this, ESMIG urges Member States to factor consumers in the cost-benefit analyses to fully take into consideration the wide range of benefits enabled by smart meters. While prioritising the acceleration and completion of the roll-out of smart meters as a key enabler of the digitalisation of the energy system, clear targets and a timeframe for their full deployment need to be set, given that the EU roll-out target of 80% for 2020 has been missed. Smart meters are a mature technology and need to be deployed and used to its full potential in Europe today. Enabling all functionalities and use cases for smart meters, which vary widely across Europe, is a must.
Finally, making data interoperable and available (near) real-time to consumers as mandated by the Electricity Directive is key to fully unleash the power of energy data.