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Energy Communities

What are Energy Communities?​

Energy communities are collaborative organizations where citizens, local businesses, and other stakeholders jointly invest in, produce, manage, and consume renewable energy. These communities represent a fundamental shift from centralized energy systems to decentralized, democratic energy management.

Key Characteristics​

Local Energy Production and Consumption Members produce renewable energy (typically solar, wind, or hydroelectric) and share it within the community. Energy is consumed where it's produced, reducing transmission losses and grid dependency.

Collective Ownership Community members collectively own or lease energy generation assets. Democratic decision-making ensures all members have a voice in community operations.

Energy Sharing Surplus energy from one member can be shared with others in the community. This creates a local energy market with optimized distribution based on real-time supply and demand.

Grid Independence While still connected to the main grid for backup, communities aim to maximize self-sufficiency. Excess energy can be sold back to the grid, creating additional revenue streams.

Benefits​

  • Economic: Lower energy costs through collective bargaining and shared infrastructure
  • Environmental: Increased renewable energy adoption and reduced carbon footprint
  • Social: Strengthened community bonds and local economic development
  • Resilience: Enhanced energy security and reduced dependency on external suppliers

Regulatory Framework​

Energy communities operate within specific regulatory frameworks that vary by region. In the EU, they are recognized under the Clean Energy Package, which defines:

  • Renewable Energy Communities (RECs)
  • Citizen Energy Communities (CECs)

These frameworks establish rights for energy sharing, grid access, and fair treatment in the energy market.

Technical Requirements​

Operating an energy community requires sophisticated data management for:

  • Real-time energy production and consumption monitoring
  • Member billing and settlement
  • Grid interaction management
  • Regulatory compliance reporting
  • Asset performance tracking

This is where OctoMesh's Data Mesh technology provides the structured data foundation needed to manage these complex, interconnected systems effectively.

Solution Architecture with OctoMesh​

System Overview​

The OctoMesh platform serves as the central data hub for managing energy communities, integrating with external systems and providing user interfaces for different stakeholder groups.

Key Components​

1. External Integrations​

EDA Integration via Ponton X/P KEP

  • Bidirectional communication with the energy data exchange platform
  • EDIFACT/XML message processing
  • Automated status and error message handling

Excel Import

  • Initial master data import functionality
  • Batch processing for participant and metering point data
  • Validation and error handling

2. OctoMesh Core Platform​

Construction Kit

  • Object-oriented data modeling (classes, inheritance, attributes, associations)
  • Support for simple data types (strings, numbers, booleans) and complex records
  • Version-controlled schema management

Business Logic Layer

  • Energy allocation algorithms
  • Billing calculations
  • Regulatory compliance rules

API Layer

  • RESTful APIs for application integration
  • Event-driven architecture for real-time updates
  • Security and authentication handling

3. User Applications​

Management Application for Energy Communities

  • Complete master data management
  • Energy quantity tracking and allocation
  • Billing and settlement processing
  • EDA message monitoring and handling
  • Reporting and analytics

Participant Portal

  • Self-service access for community members
  • Personal energy consumption/production views
  • Billing history and statements
  • Document access

Data Architecture​

The solution manages four primary data domains:

  1. Master Data: Core participant and infrastructure information
  2. Energy Data: Production, consumption, and grid feed-in measurements
  3. Billing Data: Financial transactions and settlements
  4. Communication Data: EDA messages and system notifications