Prosumer centric digital energy ecosystem framework

Abstract

Climate change is putting pressure on governments, policy makers and international organizations to increase energy efficiency and move towards using renewable energy sources. To meet growing need for energy and at the same time comply with ecologic and economic demands, the energy market structure is slowly transitioning from a centralized system to more interactive and decentralized model based on Smart Grid technology in which also end users may play a role as prosumers i.e. as producers and consumers of energy. Different scenarios exist for the level of prosumer participation in the future flexible energy ecosystem. In this paper, we propose a framework for Prosumer centric Digital Energy Ecosystem based on Smart Grid technologies, decentralized energy production using renewable energy sources and complex network of new and incumbent actors, business models and processes.

Prosumer Communities and Relationships in Smart Grids: A Literature Review, Evolution and Future Directions

“…As an active participant, they drive the sustainability of the energy sharing process in the PCG [7]. Although prosumers are value-adding participants in the evolving energy system, limited research exists on the subject of prosumer roles [37,38]. Recognizing prosumer roles and aligning expectations at the first stages of smart grid implementation are important for better adoption of the technology regarding functionality, processes, business models, and opportunities for innovation [37].…”

“…Prosumers can also contribute to the digital energy ecosystem. Aside from being involved in energy production, prosumers can also engage in innovation and value creation processes through digital touch points such as the web, user interfaces, and mobile devices and application [38]. Some examples of such innovation and value creation are energy market processes related to data monitoring, data analytics, and other areas of physical and financial energy flows.…”

“…Some examples of such innovation and value creation are energy market processes related to data monitoring, data analytics, and other areas of physical and financial energy flows. Moreover, prosumers can also help in developing innovative solutions through sharing ideas and providing feedback [38].…”

“…In another study of prosumer centric digital energy ecosystem, the authors propose a framework consisting of actors and layers [38]. The actors include the natural environment and various organizations such as regulators, academia, business system, energy industry incumbents, new energy industry actors, and new entrants from other sectors.…”

“…Table 1 shows the corresponding list of papers reviewed under each category. [16,36,38,49,[52][53][54] Prosumer management [5,8,10,11,37,[55][56][57][58][59] Prosumer relationships…”