Mapping and Evolving Interoperability Testing in European Energy Systems: The int:net Perspective

2025-10-22

AI Summary

The European energy system’s transition toward renewable integration, digitalization, and distributed architectures necessitates enhanced cross-component and cross-system interoperability; however, a structured, comprehensive understanding of current interoperability testing capabilities across Europe remains absent. Method: This study conducts the first systematic survey of 30 European smart grid test facilities, employing a structured questionnaire and multidimensional comparative analysis, integrated with established standards, reference use-case libraries, and evaluation models to develop a taxonomy covering test environments, methodologies, and standardized use cases. Contribution/Results: The work delivers (i) the first pan-European interoperability test facility landscape map; (ii) a unified interoperability testing framework with an evolutionary roadmap; and (iii) publicly released classification criteria and infrastructure development guidelines. By addressing a critical systemic gap, this research enables transnational collaborative testing ecosystems and informs strategic decision-making for integrated, interoperable energy infrastructure.

Technology Category

• Application Domains: Internet of Things, Sensor Networks & Smart Cities
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems
• Search and Optimization: Distributed Search

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Energy management for devices in mobile Web and WoT environments
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Web evaluation methodologies and metrics
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Incentives in network design for Web infrastructures and ecosystems

Abstract

The ongoing transformation of the European energy landscape, driven by the integration of renewable energy sources, digital technologies, and decentralized systems, requires a high degree of interoperability across diverse components and systems. Ensuring that these elements can exchange information and operate together reliably is essential for achieving a secure, flexible, and efficient energy supply infrastructure. While several initiatives have contributed to the development of smart grid testing infrastructures, they do not provide a dedicated or comprehensive focus on interoperability testing. A structured and harmonized overview of interoperability testing capabilities across Europe is therefore still missing. This work therefore presents a novel contribution by analyzing the European interoperability testing facility landscape through a structured survey of 30 facilities. It provides a categorized inventory of testing infrastructures, applied methodologies, and reference test cases, and introduces a blueprint for the development of future testing environments. The findings contribute to the establishment of a coordinated European ecosystem for interoperability testing, supporting collaboration, innovation, and alignment with the goals of the energy transition.

Problem

• Mapping European energy interoperability testing capabilities
• Addressing lack of harmonized interoperability testing overview
• Developing coordinated ecosystem for energy system interoperability

Innovation

• Surveyed 30 European energy testing facilities
• Categorized testing infrastructures and methodologies
• Introduced blueprint for future testing environments