Fraunhofer-Institut für Angewandte Informationstechnik FIT

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  • Publication
    Framing microgrid design from a business and information systems engineering perspective
    ( 2019)
    Sachs, Thomas
    ;
    Gründler, Anna
    ;
    Rusic, Milos
    ;
    Fridgen, Gilbert
    Microgrids are decentralized distribution networks that integrate distributed energy resources and balance energy generation and loads locally. The introduction of microgrids can help overcome the challenges of global energy systems. Despite this potential, the information systems domain has seen limited research on microgrids. This paper synthesizes research on elements of microgrids for electric energy. Interviewed experts maintain that technological microgrid solutions have been solidly developed; nevertheless, the lack of economic and business consideration is stalling their deployment. The authors argue that business and information systems engineering research can provide integrated perspectives that connect technology and markets. Consequently, the authors derive a framework from an extensive interdisciplinary literature review that structures the academic state of the art on microgrid design and could guide associated information systems research. The framework comprises four layers: energy technology and infrastructure, information and communication infrastructure, application systems, and governance. The authors evaluate the framework in interviews with 15 experts from industry and three from academia. Their feedback allows to iteratively refine the framework and point out research directions on microgrids in business and information systems engineering.
  • Publication
    Building a Blockchain Application that Complies with the EU General Data Protection Regulation
    ( 2019)
    Rieger, Alexander
    ;
    Guggenmos, Florian
    ;
    Lockl, Jannik
    ;
    Fridgen, Gilbert
    ;
    Urbach, Nils
    Complying with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) poses significant challenges for blockchain projects, including establishing clear responsibilities for compliance, securing lawful bases for processing personal data, and observing rights to rectification and erasure. We describe how Germanys Federal Office for Migration and Refugees addressed these challenges and created a GDPR-compliant blockchain solution for cross-organizational workflow coordination. Based on the lessons learned, we provide three recommendations for ensuring blockchain solutions are GDPR-compliant.
  • Publication
    Harnessing the Full Potential of Industrial Demand-Side Flexibility: An End-to-End Approach Connecting Machines with Markets through Service-Oriented IT Platforms
    ( 2019)
    Rösch, Martin
    ;
    Bauer, Dennis
    ;
    Haupt, Leon
    ;
    Keller, Robert
    ;
    Bauernhansl, Thomas
    ;
    Fridgen, Gilbert
    ;
    Reinhart, Gunther
    ;
    Sauer, Alexander
    The growing share of renewable energy generation based on fluctuating wind and solar energy sources is increasingly challenging in terms of power grid stability. Industrial demand-side response presents a promising way to balance energy supply and consumption. For this, energy demand is flexibly adapted based on external incentives. Thus, companies can economically benefit and at the same time contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, there are currently some major obstacles that impede industrial companies from taking part in the energy markets. A broad specification analysis systematically dismantles the existing barriers. On this foundation, a new end-to-end ecosystem of an energy synchronization platform is introduced. It consists of a business-individual company-side platform, where suitable services for energy-oriented manufacturing are offered. In addition, one market-side platform is established as a mediating service broker, which connects the companies to, e.g., third party service providers, energy suppliers, aggregators, and energy markets. The ecosystems aim at preventing vendor lock-in and providing a flexible solution, relying on open standards and offering an integrated solution through an end-to-end energy flexibility data model. In this article, the resulting functionalities are discussed and the remaining deficits outlined.
  • Publication
    (How) Can Blockchain Contribute to the Management of Systemic Risks in Global Supply Networks?
    ( 2019)
    Fridgen, Gilbert
    ;
    Körner, Marc-Fabian
    ;
    Sedlmeir, Johannes
    ;
    Weibelzahl, Martin
    Even though globalization has led to larger, faster, and more efficient supply chains, at the same time the new worldwide interconnection has also resulted in major challenges with respect to hidden systemic risks. In particular, there is a lack of a holistic perspective on the entire supply network. This missing global view prohibits the anamnesis and management of underlying risks. Against this backdrop, in this paper we discuss the potential contributions of Blockchain technology to systemic risk management in global supply chains and networks. Given the increasing number of recent initiatives of businesses in the context of Blockchain, we argue that Blockchain technology can lower the hurdle for the use of secure multiparty computation. Ultimately, it may be possible to implement a corresponding monitoring mechanism for systemic risks without (i) the need of a central authority and (ii) revealing competition relevant, confidential information to other supply network participants.
  • Publication
    Batterien als Schlüsseltechnologie
    ( 2019)
    Fridgen, Gilbert
    ;
    Haupt, Leon
  • Publication
    Extending the Automation Pyramid for Industrial Demand Response
    ( 2019)
    Körner, Marc-Fabian
    ;
    Bauer, Dennis
    ;
    Keller, Robert
    ;
    Rösch, Martin
    ;
    Schlereth, Andreas
    ;
    Simon, Peter
    ;
    Bauernhansl, Thomas
    ;
    Fridgen, Gilbert
    ;
    Reinhart, Gunther
    Industrial demand response uses a multitude of energy flexibility measures. Their planning and control requires various production IT systems. A widely accepted approach to classify these inhouse IT systems are the levels of the automation pyramid in companies. This paper broadens the scope of this concept to overcome the limitation to companies' (virtual) borders by including required IT systems that refine and monetarize a company's energy flexibility, e.g. energy markets, aggregators, etc. Therefore, a holistic approach for the classification of functionalities for industrial demand response across companies and energy markets is developed and applied exemplarily.
  • Publication
    Supporting communication and cooperation in the asylum procedure with Blockchain technology - A proof of concept by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees
    (BAMF, 2019)
    Fridgen, Gilbert
    ;
    Guggenmos, Florian
    ;
    Lockl, Jannick
    ;
    Rieger, Alexander
    ;
    Urbach, N.
    The proof of concept showed that the use of Blockchain technology could support cross-organisational communication and cooperation in the asylum procedure. In addition, Blockchain could provide an important foundation for the establishment of digital identities and allow an asylum seeker's procedure to be tracked based on this identity. Admittedly, not all applicable data protection regulations were fully implemented in the proof of concept. However, the findings gained as part of the project provide a promising basis for the development of a Blockchain-based solution for the asylum procedure that complies with data protection requirements. Moreover, the developed concept could scale beyond Germany's borders. Blockchain-based, transnational management of asylum procedures could therefore become a joint project of the European member states to strengthen cooperation while safeguarding federal structures. This means that Blockchain technology could be the start of digital federalism in Europe (including the asylum procedure).
  • Publication
    A Generic Data Model for Describing Flexibility in Power Markets
    ( 2019)
    Schott, Paul
    ;
    Sedlmeir, Johannes
    ;
    Strobel, Nina
    ;
    Weber, Thomas
    ;
    Fridgen, Gilbert
    ;
    Abele, Eberhard
    In this article, we present a new descriptive model for industrial flexibility with respect to power consumption. The advancing digitization in the energy sector opens up new possibilities for utilizing and automatizing the marketing of flexibility potentials and therefore facilitates a more advanced energy management. This requires a standardized description and modeling of power-related flexibility. The data model in this work has been developed in close collaboration with several partners from different industries in the context of a major German research project. A suitable set of key figures allows for also describing complex production processes that exhibit interdependencies and storage-like properties. The data model can be applied to other areas as well, e.g., power plants, plug-in electric vehicles, or power-related flexibility of households.
  • Publication
    IT-based architecture for power market oriented optimization at multiple levels in production processes
    ( 2019)
    Seitz, Philipp
    ;
    Abele, Eberhard
    ;
    Bank, Lukas
    ;
    Bauernhansl, Thomas
    ;
    Colangelo, Eduardo
    ;
    Fridgen, Gilbert
    ;
    Schilp, Johannes
    ;
    Schott, Paul
    ;
    Sedlmeir, Johannes
    ;
    Strobl, Nina
    ;
    Weber, Thomas
    Given the increasingly volatile prices on the power markets, it becomes economically more and more important for companies to develop and realize flexible strategies for energy consumption. A steady adaption of production processes which considers current power prices can take place on several levels of the automation pyramid, where each level has its own characteristics and requirements. In this paper, we present an optimization architecture based on an IT-platform which meets the challenges of complex multilayered production processes. We introduce layer-specific optimization strategies as well as an associated information flow, which facilitates creating holistic and well-coordinated optimizations.