InterPhaSe

The InterPhaSe research project is expanding the platform developed in the predecessor project PEAK for peer-to-peer energy trading and market-based provision of flexibilities with additional functions and testing it in various test stages. 

The PEAK platform enables households to trade locally generated electricity directly and addresses grid grid congestions in a proactive, market-based, and automated manner. Central elements of the platform are energy agents in the form of software for home energy management systems (HEMS). These optimize energy consumption in households and interact with the peer-to-peer electricity market.

In addition to the electricity sector, the InterPhaSe project also considers the heating sector. To this end, the platform is being expanded to include functions for cross-sector optimization in order to exploit synergies between the two sectors. In addition, strategies for infrastructure optimization are being developed to exploit the potential of modern heating systems for a secure, efficient, and CO₂-neutral heat supply. The coupling of the electricity and heating sectors is being investigated in simulations and a co-simulation at the campus of the Gas- und Wärme-Institut Essen. 

In addition, protective mechanisms against market manipulation, compliance with regulatory requirements pursuant to § 14a EnWG and § 9 EEG, and the integration of single-family homes and apartment buildings are planned. To this end, internal communication standards are to be further developed.

The security of the IT infrastructure through self-sovereign identities will be supplemented by attribute-based access control. This means that access rights are not only clearly assigned to individual users or systems, but are also intelligently linked to clearly defined properties, roles, and usage contexts to ensure the secure operation of the platform.

Project duration: 08/2025 to 07/2028

In order to achieve comprehensive greenhouse gas neutrality, the existing energy system must undergo a fundamental transformation – particularly in view of the increasing importance of electrical energy. Electrical distribution networks are facing growing loads from new sources such as heat pumps, electric vehicle charging points, and decentralized feeders in the form of PV and wind power plants, for which they were not originally designed. Due to economic and technical limitations, traditional measures such as the conversion and expansion of the grid infrastructure alone are insufficient to counteract these developments. The energy transition therefore requires innovative concepts such as active grid management to avoid grid congestions through the use of flexibility.

The heating sector is also facing fundamental changes that will be difficult to manage efficiently without coordinated approaches. Cross-sector networking of electricity and heating grids is intended to exploit synergies, compensate for congestions more flexibly, and increase overall system efficiency. The InterPhaSe project extends the existing PEAK platform to include the heating sector in order to optimize energy flows across both sectors, enable automated control systems, and develop strategies for infrastructure optimization. Another aspect is the development of cost-effective, grid-friendly approaches in which participation enables financial added value or optimized use, thereby increasing the acceptance of renewable energies. Where possible, market-based mechanisms and incentives should be used instead of forced regulatory measures.

The InterPhaSe platform uses an agent-based, modularly expandable approach that integrates active grid management, peer-to-peer energy trading, and cross-sector optimization of electricity and heat flows. The central element is a grid status forecast that proactively identifies grid bottlenecks in medium- and low-voltage grids and compensates for them through market-based, automated control using flexibilities (e.g., heat pumps, charging infrastructure, storage).

Communication is based on the EEBUS standard. Households are integrated into local energy markets via HEMS software agents. They optimize their energy consumption and contribute to grid stability both preventively and curatively. In addition, grid security is ensured by PSIngo's active grid control in accordance with Section 14a of the German Energy Industry Act (EnWG) and Section 9 of the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) by means of grid-friendly interventions. The platform is being expanded to include the heating sector in order to analyze synergies between electricity and heat supply and derive strategies for infrastructure optimization and municipal heat planning. A central element here is the PSIconnect data platform, which implements the interface between the individual elements of the platform. A security-by-design concept based on self-sovereign identities and attribute-based access control secures the IT infrastructure.