Smart INteroperability Architecture (SINA)

AI Quick Summary

Digital service solutions are complex and costly. At its core, SINA (Smart Interoperability Infrastructure Architecture) aims to facilitate interoperability with data spaces and provide access to decentralised data from vendor clouds without the need to install additional gateways or middleware. The data space guarantees data security and privacy in the process. By using the SINA data space, we expect a reduction of 2 Mt CO2 emissions. Problem being solved:IoT business cases in the building industry that involve the usage of data of several stakeholders are very complex and costly to implement. At its core, SINA (Smart Interoperability Infrastructure Architecture) aims to solve this problem by facilitating interoperability, granting access to decentralised data without needing to install additional gateways or middleware. SINA does this by using a cloud-based soft gateway interfaced with OEM private clouds, effectively acting as a data highway for building energy service providers to offer optimised services and create new ones. As a result, the shared infrastructure architecture becomes more easily scalable, data transaction costs are reduced, and with the help of a governance model, data sharing is made efficient. Customers:End users, OEMs, DSOs and aggragators (See attached for table showing customers, use cases and benefits)Energy savings and CO2 emissions:​ In Switzerland 3.9 million private households[1] consume roughly 19 TWh per year, approximately 33%[2] of the overall energy demand. This is clearly a market with considerable potential to reduce a total of roughly 2 Mt CO2 emissions per year[3].Interoperable distributed data access that SINA facilitates leads to smart operations that reduce inefficient energy usage and bolsters the integration of PV into the electrical grid, through which SINA enables the reduction of a relevant fraction of these 2 Mt CO2 emissions. Moreover, SINA at the same time delays or avoids costly grid reinforcement by improving data-reliant grid flexible load management that makes use of existing grid infrastructure. Thus, grid operations and increasing the renewable energy grid capacity are done so economically.[1] At the end of 2020 (Households | Federal Statistical Office (admin.ch))[2] 10521-MM_GEST_2020_Ueberblick_Tabellen&Grafiken_d-f_final.pdf[3] 2019 Swiss energy carbon intensity 0.12kg/kWh (Switzerland: Energy Country Profile - Our World in Data)Current status and previous activities:Current solutions have failed due to:very high efforts to get access to distributed data,installation and equipment cost of field gateways,market participants' fear of the market power of individual solution providers, orlegal difficulties in managing data owned by homeowners and residents.Setting up the project SINA involves an ecosystem consisting of many participants. Doing so is very intensive work. Meanwhile, using the Innopark ZS’s network, we have managed to set up a community of 19 engaged participants. The next step is to apply for funding for the SINA project.Status per 28.02.2023: preliminary studies:done: proof of concept: minimum viable Data Space createdongoing: data security and privacy concepts in Data Spacesseveral contacts to potential partners for consortium, 4 are interested in participatingapplication initiatedStatus per 5.04.2023preliminary studies ongoingconsultation with potential new partners ongoingapplication to SFOE grid call cancelled due to topic mismatchongoing concept studies build up the base for an Innosuisse applicationproceeded from proof of concept towards building a demonstratorPlanned work packages:Based on the case studies designed by project implementation partners, SINA ECO aims to describe the technology, architecture, and governance related requirements, giving proof of the commercial and technical feasibility. In a separate successive project SINA TECH will implement the results coming out of SINA ECO. (See attached document for work packages and organisation)Energy Lab can support SINA in two ways:1. The Pitch and Enrich workshops based on Design Thinking practice could help steer and shape the project use cases differently than what has been envisaged by the project team. It has the potential to draw to our attention aspects that were not considered or overlooked. Access to design thinking practitioners will either reinforce the SINA concept or help to pinpoint weaknesses that will serve to strengthen the project.2. The CHF 20’000 prize money will help to cover a portion of the costs so far that have been spent on three out of the four project phases shown below, i.e., running workshops, acquiring and onboarding partners. (see attached document for project phases).

Project Idea Metadata

• Project Idea Name: Smart INteroperability Architecture (SINA)
• Date: 1/25/2022 3:23:43 PM
• Administrators:
  • Tanaka Mbavarira

Project Idea Description

Problem being solved:

IoT business cases in the building industry that involve the usage of data of several stakeholders are very complex and costly to implement. At its core, SINA (Smart Interoperability Infrastructure Architecture) aims to solve this problem by facilitating interoperability, granting access to decentralised data without needing to install additional gateways or middleware. SINA does this by using a cloud-based soft gateway interfaced with OEM private clouds, effectively acting as a data highway for building energy service providers to offer optimised services and create new ones. As a result, the shared infrastructure architecture becomes more easily scalable, data transaction costs are reduced, and with the help of a governance model, data sharing is made efficient.

Customers:

End users, OEMs, DSOs and aggragators (See attached for table showing customers, use cases and benefits)

Energy savings and CO2 emissions:

​ In Switzerland 3.9 million private households[1] consume roughly 19 TWh per year, approximately 33%[2] of the overall energy demand. This is clearly a market with considerable potential to reduce a total of roughly 2 Mt CO₂ emissions per year[3].

Interoperable distributed data access that SINA facilitates leads to smart operations that reduce inefficient energy usage and bolsters the integration of PV into the electrical grid, through which SINA enables the reduction of a relevant fraction of these 2 Mt CO2 emissions. Moreover, SINA at the same time delays or avoids costly grid reinforcement by improving data-reliant grid flexible load management that makes use of existing grid infrastructure. Thus, grid operations and increasing the renewable energy grid capacity are done so economically.

[1] At the end of 2020 (Households | Federal Statistical Office (admin.ch))

[2] 10521-MM_GEST_2020_Ueberblick_Tabellen&Grafiken_d-f_final.pdf

[3] 2019 Swiss energy carbon intensity 0.12kg/kWh (Switzerland: Energy Country Profile - Our World in Data)

Current status and previous activities:

Current solutions have failed due to:

• very high efforts to get access to distributed data,
• installation and equipment cost of field gateways,
• market participants' fear of the market power of individual solution providers, or
• legal difficulties in managing data owned by homeowners and residents.

Setting up the project SINA involves an ecosystem consisting of many participants. Doing so is very intensive work. Meanwhile, using the Innopark ZS’s network, we have managed to set up a community of 19 engaged participants. The next step is to apply for funding for the SINA project.

Status per 28.02.2023:

• preliminary studies:
• done: proof of concept: minimum viable Data Space created
• ongoing: data security and privacy concepts in Data Spaces
• several contacts to potential partners for consortium, 4 are interested in participating
• application initiated

Status per 5.04.2023

• preliminary studies ongoing
• consultation with potential new partners ongoing
• application to SFOE grid call cancelled due to topic mismatch
• ongoing concept studies build up the base for an Innosuisse application
• proceeded from proof of concept towards building a demonstrator

Planned work packages:

Based on the case studies designed by project implementation partners, SINA ECO aims to describe the technology, architecture, and governance related requirements, giving proof of the commercial and technical feasibility. In a separate successive project SINA TECH will implement the results coming out of SINA ECO. (See attached document for work packages and organisation)

Energy Lab can support SINA in two ways:

1. The Pitch and Enrich workshops based on Design Thinking practice could help steer and shape the project use cases differently than what has been envisaged by the project team. It has the potential to draw to our attention aspects that were not considered or overlooked. Access to design thinking practitioners will either reinforce the SINA concept or help to pinpoint weaknesses that will serve to strengthen the project.

2. The CHF 20’000 prize money will help to cover a portion of the costs so far that have been spent on three out of the four project phases shown below, i.e., running workshops, acquiring and onboarding partners. (see attached document for project phases).

Digital service solutions are complex and costly. At its core, SINA (Smart Interoperability Infrastructure Architecture) aims to facilitate interoperability with data spaces and provide access to decentralised data from vendor clouds without the need to install additional gateways or middleware. The data space guarantees data security and privacy in the process. By using the SINA data space, we expect a reduction of 2 Mt CO2 emissions.