The IOTA Tangle Selected as Core Technology for SUSEE to Enable Large Scale Sensor Networks
A Scalable, Reliable and Secure Solution for Data Transmission and Processing in Sensor Networks
TL;DR:
The IOTA Foundation will be the core technology provider for SUSEE (Secure Sensor Platforms for Smart Energy Networks), a collaboration between the energy distribution network operator SWO Netz, the two research institutes Fraunhofer FIT/IPT, the university TU Chemnitz, and the SMEs peerOS, mCloud Systems, and TIP, to develop a scalable solution for reliable and secure data transmission and processing in sensor networks.
Energy suppliers are faced with the major task of shaping the energy transition toward a reliable, climate-friendly energy supply at affordable prices. In order to meet this enormous challenge, it is essential to take advantage of the opportunities offered by digitization. The use of technologies from the Internet of Things (IoT) sector enables innovative areas of application in the energy sector for wirelessly-networked sensors and communication networks that promise a high level of security and convenience for customers.
In addition to security issues, economies of scale are of particular importance for national and international energy suppliers, since even smaller energy suppliers in Germany already have tens of thousands of end customers. Thus, a solution must not only be scalable, it must support a large number of sensors (i.e., and devices) -- but also be feasible at low cost (both from a CAPEX and especially from an OPEX perspective). At the same time, there is a need for new digital business models in the energy sector for the benefit of all participants.
The demands on the basic supply infrastructure are very high, especially in terms of availability and security. For the wireless remote readout of power consumer and power generator data, this means that a high level of security (i.e., data encryption) must be ensured in addition to a high level of reliability during data transmission. Furthermore, data integrity and tamper-proofness of the information to be transmitted must be taken into account.
Andreas Baumgartner, CEO at mCloud Systems and Consortium Lead: "The combination of cutting-edge IoT technologies and protocols enables an unprecedented level of confidence in the wireless transmission of information. Together with the IOTA Foundation and our collaborative partners, we are working on a technical solution that provides a secure and scalable foundation for infrastructure applications through state-of-the-art communications technology."
SUSEE (Secure Sensor Platforms for Smart Energy Networks) is a collaboration between the energy distribution network operator SWO Netz GmbH, the two research institutes Fraunhofer FIT/IPT, the university TU Chemnitz, and the SMEs peerOS GmbH, mCloud Systems GmbH, and TIP GmbH, as well as the non-profit IOTA Foundation.
The project has been chosen for the applied non-nuclear research funding in the 7th Energy Research Program "Innovations for the energy transition” of Germany's Federal Ministry for Economy and Energy (BMWI) with a total volume of 2.6M EUR.
Verena Honeck, scientific assistant at the project-executing agency Jülich: “The joint project was selected because it is a highly innovative project in the field of networked sensor systems with application in the smart meter sector and involves qualified partners who represent an entire value chain.”
The object of the SUSEE research project is the conceptual design of a scalable solution for reliable and secure data transmission and processing in sensor networks - especially for smart metering applications. This solution will be realized on the basis of the IOTA distributed ledger protocol and the wireless network protocol LoRaWAN as well as the self-configuring WiBACK backhaul network. The project will comply with the standards of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI).
Daniel Demmer, CoFounder at PeerOS: “We want to build an ECOsystem that is open to everyone, transparent and secure - data belongs to whoever creates it and not whoever offers the service. With this project, the real world is linked with the digital for the first time, and not just in an abstract deployment scenario but in a scenario that affects everyone. What do I use and how can I use my data to generate added value for myself and for society.”
Holger Köther, Director of Partnerships at the IOTA Foundation: “Ensuring data integrity and data management encrypted and securely directly from the edge is the core DNA of IOTA. I am looking forward to working as part of a team of so many forward thinking organizations, to demonstrate how IOTA is being used as a security and integrity layer for upcoming applications, where a distributed resilient IT infrastructure against attacks is key.”
SUSEE is an ambitious project to not only reform the energy sector but transition the results to other industries. If you want to learn more about SUSEE or are working in a similar domain and leverage IOTA solutions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Discord and our Director of Partnerships, Holger Köther.
