OneNet Framework – Open Data Space Solution for Energy Digitalisation
Ferdinando Bosco, Engineering Ingegneria Informatica & Vassilis Sakas, European Dynamics
Event Recap: LF Energy Summit Europe 2025
TL;DR
At LF Energy Summit Europe 2025, Vassilis Sakas (European Dynamics) and Ferdinando Bosco (Engineering Ingegneria Informatica) presented the OneNet Framework, an open data space solution for energy digitalisation. The session described how a federated governance layer and decentralized connector-based exchange can help energy stakeholders share data securely, support interoperability, and retain control over their own data.
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Presentation Overview
Sakas introduced OneNet as a European project launched in 2020 with 73 partners, a budget of €20 million, and participation from 23 European Union countries. The project’s objective was to develop common ways for electricity system stakeholders, including consumers, producers, TSOs, DSOs, and market participants, to communicate and exchange data.
He framed the challenge as energy sector digitalisation in a complex environment with many countries, operators, and stakeholders. He also noted that future use cases are not fully known today, making adaptable data exchange models important.
A central theme of the session was the distinction between a data space and a database. Sakas emphasized that a data space does not centralize information in a single data lake. Instead, data remains with each participant, while controlled access is provided when needed.
He described this model as supporting:
- Privacy and security
- Interoperability across systems
- Access control and consent
- Federated discovery of available data
- Data sovereignty for participants
Bosco then presented the OneNet Framework architecture, designed to facilitate collaboration without replacing legacy platforms already in place.
The framework includes two core components:
- OneNet Middleware – supports participant onboarding, identity management, data catalogs, shared vocabularies, and access management rules.
- OneNet Connector – a locally deployed plug-and-play component that enables existing systems to participate in the data space.
The architecture combines a federated layer and a decentralized layer. Participants register and discover services through the middleware, while actual data exchange occurs directly between provider and consumer connectors after agreeing on access and usage policies.
The speakers said the OneNet Connector was developed specifically for the energy domain. Within the framework, the project defined 10 categories and 64 energy services, including associated actors, exchanged data, quality requirements, data models, and formats.
Bosco also outlined follow-on work building on OneNet. This included a graphical user interface, blockchain-based transaction authorization, push-based data exchange options, support for IEEE 2030.5, and TwinEU, a separate European project focused on federating digital twins using data space concepts.
During the Q&A, the speakers argued that the electricity environment is complex, rather than the data space concept itself. They presented open source software and simplified connector deployment as ways to support broader adoption.
FAQ
What is the OneNet Framework?
The OneNet Framework is an open data space solution designed to support collaboration and data exchange among energy stakeholders.
Is a data space the same as a database?
No. The speakers emphasized that data spaces do not centralize data. Information remains with participants, who control access to it.
What are the core components of the framework?
The two core components described were the OneNet Middleware and the OneNet Connector.
What does the OneNet Connector do?
It is a locally deployed component that enables existing platforms to participate in the data space and exchange data under agreed rules.
What role does open source play?
The speakers described open source as a way to facilitate adoption and help grow a broader ecosystem.
About LF Energy
LF Energy is an open source foundation within the Linux Foundation focused on advancing collaboration in digital energy infrastructure.
Learn more: https://lfenergy.org
