New app directs digital ID traffic between decentralized energy sources and the grid

Energy Web, a non-profit that develops open-source tech for clean energy transition, has teamed up with EU energy firm Elia Group to develop a digital identity app to facilitate energy and data exchange between the electrical grid and so-called “flexible assets” such as electric vehicles and heat pumps.

The app is based on self-sovereign identity (SSI) systems and can securely transfer digital ID data between different parties, according to a release. It is designed to be easily integrated into digital wallets, leading to its adoption as an official project of the OpenWallet Foundation as an instance of open, secure, and interoperable digital wallet technology.

Elia Group’s Kris Lehrmans emphasizes the message that flexible consumption demands secure identification. “To ensure network security and stability, the integration of renewable energy sources into our energy systems will require household and industrial flexibility to be activated,” he says. “SSI will be an important tool for creating a registry of decentralized and flexible assets that will allow us to monitor the state of the network and steer these decentralized assets.”

In other words, once your Tesla or heat pump is connected to your wallet containing verifiable credentials, Elia Group’s software will facilitate allocation of the energy they produce for efficiency, storing some and feeding some back into the grid as a decentralized balancing measure that supports transition to renewable energy sources. The system will require fast, secure transfer of data between multiple parties, to account for information on tariffs, technical and contractual specifications, and personal identity information.

Elia Group and Energy Web’s offering believes the inevitable solution is to be found in digital wallets, as the EU and other territories move to make wallets a central part of digital transformation initiatives. To this end, they built the app on the pre-existing verifiable credential application programming interface (VC API) specification, to make it familiar to users and compatible with a variety of IT frameworks.

“This collaborative effort between Elia Group, Energy Web, and the OpenWallet Foundation represents a significant step toward revolutionizing the digital wallet landscape,” says Energy Web’s Senior Solution Architect John Henderson. “By officially accepting this project, OWF is empowering the future of secure and interoperable digital wallets.”

In the interest of encouraging small and medium sized businesses to adopt the software, its code and other documentation for the project is available on GitHub.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  Elia Group  |  Energy Web  |  mobile app  |  OpenWallet Foundation (OWF)  |  self-sovereign identity