Digital Energy Lab

New unique infrastructure to accelerate development of digital solutions for the Danish energy system

Energy Energy efficiency Energy systems IT systems
DTU has entered into collaboration on establishing a new digital infrastructure, which will, among other things, facilitate fast, easy and open access to data to be used in the development of the green energy system of the future. The new digital infrastructure is developed in the Digital Energy Lab project, funded by EUDP.

The Danish energy system is among the best in the world because it delivers affordable, reliable and sustainable energy. The fact that we are able to boast this is largely due to the innovation which takes place in the collaboration between energy companies and utilities, suppliers, government agencies and authorities and, not least, the research community. DTU and PowerLabDK find it fundamental to contribute to this collaboration and thus help to ensure the development of the future Danish energy system.

The Danish government has set a goal to further develop our energy system into the most integrated, market-based, and flexible energy system in Europe, able to handle the increasing volumes of renewable energy in a cost-effective way and to maintain Denmark as a top player as regards security of supply in Europe. In addition, energy technology exports must be doubled by 2030.

Such a transition cannot be implemented without new digital solutions based on knowledge data from the entire Danish energy landscape. Solutions that are not straightforward, but which are well under way, and which will be given extra momentum by this new experimental digital infrastructure.

“Digital Energy Lab is the basis for the expansion and establishment of a national platform for intelligent energy systems,” says project partner Christopher Sorensen, Founding CEO, GreenLab Skive. “We have now set up a significant consortium of commercial, public, and academic partners to ensure that Digital Energy Lab becomes the world’s leading project of its kind.”

Digitization is key to managing the new energy system, and at DTU, we know that we cannot achieve this on our own. Therefore, the development of Digital Energy Lab is a collaboration between several market players, and the finished platform will act as an open test environment for both public and commercial organizations and in particular start-ups and SMEs that will contribute to the development of new
energy solutions for society.

"The solutions will help consolidate Denmark’s position in this area and pave the way for large, new business opportunities"
Frida Frost, COO PowerLabDK

“This new infrastructure will complement the world-class facilities already established at DTU and enable us to accelerate our existing activities within the development of digital and data-driven solutions for the energy sector. The solutions will help consolidate Denmark’s position in this area and pave the way for large, new business opportunities,” says Frida Frost, COO, PowerLabDK.

Digital Energy Lab will thus be an open data platform enabling development and testing to be performed on historical and real-time data, which will accelerate the development of new digital and data-driven products and services. The platform will contain computer processing power and data volumes making it possible to develop new ways of handling and analyzing
energy data, which will help Denmark accomplish an efficient green transition.

“We find it particularly exciting to help develop an infrastructure that supports data collection and processing all the way from production to consumption. We expect this new platform to provide access to knowledge which is currently unavailable anywhere else, offering us the optimum basis for advising our customers in their planning of energy activities,” says Carl-Erik Vesterager, VP Energy & Utility, KMD.

In addition to better access to historical data, one of the basic elements of Digital Energy Labs is the possibility of development and testing being performed on real-time data. The platform will thus enable measuring and testing of real scenarios, where previously, testing was based on older historical data in order to develop prognoses. Digital Energy Lab will therefore become a necessary and popular hub for the exchange of real-time data, application of processing power and mediation of anonymized data. This will allow Denmark to increase its position of strength within intelligent energy management and optimization. This new access to knowledge will also pave the way for new business models in the energy sector.

The Digital Energy Lab partners met on 27 March 2019 for the project kick-off. The partners are itching to start developing the platform that will help support the energy reality of the future.

Digital Energy Lab project partners

Project partners

DTU: Project owner and infrastructure developer, including upgrading and connection of High Performance Computing, integration between platforms and ensuring real-time measurements.

KMD: Implementation of AI applications.

DTU Campus Service: Supply of building data from all DTU campuses.

GreenLab Skive: Delivery of living lab data and contribution to platform integration.

Uptime: Interface development.

Gate21: Delivery of smart city data from DOLL living lab.


The project also collaborates with Energinet and Open Data DK on specific data schemes in connection with the project.