Fraunhofer-Institut für Angewandte Informationstechnik FIT

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  • Publication
    Blockchain as a driving force for federalism: A theory of cross-organizational task-technology fit
    ( 2023)
    Roth, Tamara
    ;
    Stohr, Alexander
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    Amend, Julia
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    Fridgen, Gilbert
    ;
    Rieger, Alexander
    Digital technologies play an important role for the delivery of many public services. However, selecting and adopting the ‘right’ digital technologies is often challenging, especially for federally structured governments. Universal factors for successful adoption are hard to establish, and the particularities of federalism, such as the separation of competencies, complicate technology selection. Nevertheless, blockchain technology seems to flourish in these environments. Through a single-case study on the blockchain project of Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, we unpack one essential factor for this success: the fit between (cross-)organizational task structure and technological properties. This fit earns the Federal Office's project considerable credit and traction with stakeholders and partner authorities – not least because it supports the argument that the digitalization of federal systems is possible without ‘digital centralization’ and redistribution of competencies. Our task-technology fit analysis contributes to a better understanding of the adoption of blockchain in the public sector. It also provides the foundation for an extended task-technology fit theory for federally structured, cross-organizational contexts.
  • Publication
    A Systematic Review of Identity and Access Management Requirements in Enterprises and Potential Contributions of Self-Sovereign Identity
    ( 2023)
    Glöckler, Jana
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    Sedlmeir, Johannes
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    Frank, Frank
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    Fridgen, Gilbert
    Digital identity and access management (IAM) poses significant challenges for companies. Cyberattacks and resulting data breaches frequently have their root cause in enterprises’ IAM systems. During the COVID-19 pandemic, issues with the remote authentication of employees working from home highlighted the need for better IAM solutions. Using a design science research approach, the paper reviews the requirements for IAM systems from an enterprise perspective and identifies the potential benefits of self-sovereign identity (SSI) – an emerging, passwordless paradigm in identity management that provides end users with cryptographic attestations stored in digital wallet apps. To do so, this paper first conducts a systematic literature review followed by an interview study and categorizes IAM system requirements according to security and compliance, operability, technology, and user aspects. In a second step, it presents an SSI-based prototype for IAM, whose suitability for addressing IAM challenges was assessed by twelve domain experts. The results suggest that the SSI-based authentication of employees can address requirements in each of the four IAM requirement categories. SSI can specifically improve manageability and usability aspects and help implement acknowledged best practices such as the principle of least privilege. Nonetheless, the findings also reveal that SSI is not a silver bullet for all of the challenges that today’s complex IAM systems face.
  • Publication
    Smart grids and energy markets: Towards a real-time energy system
    ( 2023)
    Dedrick, Jason
    ;
    Fridgen, Gilbert
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    Körner, Marc-Fabian
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    Strüker, Jens
    This chapter provides an overview on how IS and digital technologies can support the integration of increasing shares of renewable energy sources into electricity grids and energy markets by describing: current challenges and opportunities to bridge the existing "digital gap" (Section2); by highlighting relevant technologies (Section 3); by giving examples of what a real-time energy system may look like (Section 4); and by outlining key challenges on the way towards a real-time energy system (Section 5). In this context, the chapter underlines the particular importance of establishing and implementing standards and using latest methods for the analysis of data to actively integrate millions of (heterogeneous) devices and assets into the system. Digital technologies can help in this process both to capture each of these devices in the system and to automate their actions via data exchange in real-time, as well as to preserve necessary privacy of market participants.
  • Publication
    Obstacles to demand response: Why industrial companies do not adapt their power consumption to volatile power generation
    ( 2022-06)
    Leinauer, Christina
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    Schott, Paul
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    Fridgen, Gilbert
    ;
    Keller, Robert
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    Ollig, Philipp
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    Weibelzahl, Martin
    Various flexibility options in power systems, such as storage, grid expansion, and demand flexibility, gain increasing importance to balance the intermittent power supply of renewables. On the demand side, especially the industrial sector represents promising potential for Demand Response, i.e., the alignment of its power demand with the current power supply of renewables. However, there exist various obstacles that currently prevent companies from investing in new or (fully) exploiting existing flexibility potentials. In this paper, we investigate how economic, regulatory, technological, organizational, behavioral, informational, and competence obstacles pose barriers for companies to adjust their power consumption flexibly. For this purpose, we combine both a structured literature analysis and a case study. For the case study, we conduct 16 interviews with energy experts from companies from different industries. Our findings reveal that due to technical risk of disrupting the production process, lacking revenues, and too low cost savings, companies do not flexibilize their power consumption. Moreover, in particular, contradictory legislative incentives and missing IT standardization and interoperability represent key obstacles. Therefore, our results constitute a basis for targeted policy making in order to foster the exploitation of (existing) flexibility potential of industrial companies on the demand side.
  • Publication
    How Germany achieved a record share of renewables during the COVID-19 pandemic while relying on the European interconnected power network
    ( 2022-05-01)
    Halbrügge, Stephanie
    ;
    Fridgen, Gilbert
    ;
    Buhl, Hans Ulrich
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    Schott, Paul
    ;
    Weibelzahl, Martin
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    Weißflog, Jan
    In 2020, Germany reached a maximum share of 50.5% intermittent renewables in electricity generation. Such a high share results in an increasing need for flexibility measures such as international transmission flexibility, i.e., electricity imports and exports. In fact, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Germany changed from a former electricity net exporter to a net importer. This paper, therefore, analyzes what we can learn from the resulting development of German electricity imports as a flexibility measure from a market, environmental, and network perspective. We analyze data on electricity imports/exports, generation, prices, and interconnection capacities of 38 bidding zones, respectively 11 countries within the ENTSO-E. In particular, we formulate three hypotheses to partition our overarching research question. Our results reveal that from a market perspective, Germany's increased need for transmission flexibility did not generally result in increased prices for German electricity imports. Also, from an environmental perspective, Germany increasingly relied on electricity imports from countries that exhibited a lower share of renewables. Finally, during the COVID-19 pandemic some of Germany's interconnection capacities to its neighboring countries exhibited a higher utilization. In view of our results, German policymakers may reflect on decarbonization policies considering a holistic European perspective.
  • Publication
    How different electricity pricing systems affect the energy trilemma
    ( 2022-03)
    Heffron, Raphael J.
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    Körner, Marc-Fabian
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    Sumarno, Theresia
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    Wagner, Jonathan
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    Weibelzahl, Martin
    ;
    Fridgen, Gilbert
    Indonesia's current energy policy, which relies on cheap fossil fuels and focuses on two out of the three horns of the energy trilemma, namely, energy security and energy equity, may impede its efforts to higher shares of renewable energy sources. This paper develops three generic models that allow policymakers to analyze the impact of introducing a wholesale electricity market managed under either a nodal, a zonal, or a uniform pricing system on the three horns of the energy trilemma. It evaluates the models using a simplified network representation of the Indonesian electricity sector. The results indicate that under the model assumptions made, and given the used input parameters as well as the used metrics for the three horns of the energy trilemma, a uniform pricing system might help Indonesia to balance its energy trilemma.
  • Publication
    Artificial Intelligence in Energy Demand Response: A Taxonomy of Input Data Requirements
    ( 2022-01-24)
    Fridgen, Gilbert
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    Halbrügge, Stephanie
    ;
    Körner, Marc-Fabian
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    Michaelis, Anne
    ;
    Weibelzahl, Martin
    The ongoing energy transition increases the share of renewable energy sources. To combat inherent intermittency of RES, increasing system flexibility forms a major opportunity. One way to provide flexibility is demand response (DR). Research already reflects several approaches of artificial intelligence (AI) for DR. However, these approaches often lack considerations concerning their applicability, i.e., necessary input data. To help putting these algorithms into practice, the objective of this paper is to analyze, how input data requirements of AI approaches in the field of DR can be systematized from a practice-oriented information systems perspective. Therefore, we develop a taxonomy consisting of eight dimensions encompassing 30 characteristics. Our taxonomy contributes to research by illustrating how future AI approaches in the field of DR should represent their input data requirements. For practitioners, our developed taxonomy adds value as a structuring tool, e.g., to verify applicability with respect to input data requirements.
  • Publication
    Föderale Blockchain Infrastruktur Asyl (FLORA) : Pilotierung und Evaluation des FLORA-Assistenzsystems im Kontext der AnkER-Einrichtung Dresden
    ( 2022)
    Amend, Julia
    ;
    Arnold, Laurin
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    Fabri, Lukas
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    Feulner, Simon
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    Fridgen, Gilbert
    ;
    Harzer, Linda
    ;
    Karnebogen, Philip
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    Köhler, Franziska
    ;
    Ollig, Philipp
    ;
    Rieger, Alexander
    ;
    Schellinger, Benjamin
    ;
    Schmidbauer-Wolf, Gina Maria
    In der AnkER-Einrichtung am Standort Dresden hat das Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF) gemeinsam mit der Landesdirektion Sachsen (LDS) das Fundament für eine Föderale Blockchain-Infrastruktur Asyl (FLORA) in Deutschland gelegt. Ein neues Blockchain-basiertes Assistenzsystem unterstützt dabei die behördenübergreifende Zusammenarbeit im Asylprozess. Das FLORA-Assistenzsystem trägt nicht nur zu einer Verbesserung der Arbeitsabläufe bei, sondern reduziert auch die Anfälligkeit für Prozessfehler. Gleichzeitig werden Datenschutz und Manipulationssicherheit gestärkt. Das FLORA-Projekt des BAMF stellt dabei ein Leuchtturmprojekt für den Einsatz von Blockchain in der öffentlichen Verwaltung dar und kann als digitaler Enabler des Föderalismus betrachtet werden. Nach einer initialen Machbarkeitsstudie. Wesentlicher Bestandteil der Pilotierung war eine umfangreiche Evaluation, welche die Mehrwerte des Blockchain-basierten Systems analysieren sollte. Um diese zu bestimmen, wurden sowohl vor als auch nach der Einführung des FLORA-Assistenzsystems qualitative und quantitative Auswertungen der betrachteten Prozesse vorgenommen. Ein Vergleich der ex-ante und ex-post erhobenen Daten zeigt dabei signifikante positive Veränderungen, die auf die Einführung des FLORAAssistenzsystems zurückzuführen sind. Besonders hervorzuheben ist die generell verbesserte Verfügbarkeit und Transparenz von verfahrensrelevanten Informationen. Dies reduziert sowohl die manuelle Arbeitslast als auch den Kommunikationsaufwand. Ferner sind die untersuchten Prozesse deutlich weniger fehleranfällig und die entsprechenden Abläufe deutlich effizienter. Zuletzt unterstützt das FLORA-Assistenzsystem eine noch konsequentere Einhaltung von Datenschutzbestimmungen und setzt einen wichtigen Impuls für innovative und konstruktive Zusammenarbeit im Asylprozess. Auf Basis dieser positiven Ergebnisse plant das BAMF aktuell eine fachliche Weiterentwicklung des Assistenzsystems und hat mit der Erweiterung auf weitere Standorte in Sachsen sowie Brandenburg begonnen. Die Erweiterung auf weitere Standorte ist dabei unabhängig von der Art der jeweiligen Einrichtung (AnkER-Einrichtungen, Ankunftszentren, Außenstellen, etc.), im Vordergrund steht vielmehr die Gestaltung der Zusammenarbeit vor Ort. Darüber hinaus bringt sich das BAMF im Rahmen der European Blockchain Partnership in den Aufbau der European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) auch auf europäischer Ebene ein, um den Gedanken von FLORA supranational weiterzutragen.
  • Publication
    With or Without Blockchain? Towards a Decentralized, SSI-based eRoaming Architecture
    ( 2022)
    Hoess, Alexandra
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    Roth, Tamara
    ;
    Sedlmeir, Johannes
    ;
    Fridgen, Gilbert
    ;
    Rieger, Alexander
    Fragmentation and limited accessibility of charging infrastructure impede the adoption of electric vehicles. To improve the availability of charging infrastructure independent of providers, eRoaming offers a promising solution. Yet, current eRoaming systems are typically centralized, which raises concerns of market power concentration. While the use of blockchain technology can obviate such concerns, it comes with significant privacy challenges. To address these challenges, we explore a combination of blockchain with self-sovereign identity. Specifically, we apply a design science research approach, which helps us to identify requirements, derive a conceptual architecture, and deduce design principles for decentralized eRoaming and beyond. We find that blockchain may best leverage its benefits when it takes a backseat as a public registry for legal entities. Moreover, we find that the use of self-sovereign identities could improve compliance with privacy regulations, but they should not be overused.
  • Publication
    Artificial Intelligence as a Call for Retail Banking: Applying Digital Options Thinking to Artificial Intelligence Adoption
    ( 2022)
    Fridgen, Gilbert
    ;
    Hartwich, Eduard
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    Rägo, Vadim
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    Rieger, Alexander
    ;
    Stohr, Alexander
    Technology-driven challenges, both existing and emerging, require banks to invest in IT capabilities, especially in artificial intelligence (AI). Digital options theory presents a valuable guide rail for these investments. However, the nature of AI as a moving frontier of computing requires certain extensions to established digital option thinking. Based on interviews with 23 experts in the retail banking industry, we highlight the importance of thinking broadly when laying the foundation for AI options and being mindful of the dynamic effects of contextual factors. Drawing from digital options theory and the Technology-Organization-Environment framework as dual lens, our study adds a structured approach to consciously balance resources and AI-related capability investments with a broader consideration of the banking industry’s complex environment. In this way, our study complements recent research on the interplay between incumbents’ resources and digital opportunities.