Intermediaries for the internet of energy - exchanging smart meter data as a business model

Mechanical meters are being replaced with electronic meters in an effort to create more efficient electricity markets and, in doing so, to achieve climate targets. However, in a deregulated energy market, coordinating the exchange of data between these so-called smart meters and the various market participants entitled to this data is challenging. The British government has decided for a regulated and monopolistic communication provider as a solution to this coordination problem. In this paper, we propose non-regulated data exchange services as an alternative approach. We show the suitability of exchanging smart meter data as a new business model in two steps: We identify potential economic benefits and then discuss market size, revenue model and market penetration. Our key finding is that non-regulated data exchange in the Smart Energy Ecosystem facilitates achieving the desired climate goals. The aim of our work is to contribute to the current political debate about the socalled Internet of Energy and to direct future research and developments.