A comprehensive information platform for the Smart Grid

Smart Grid technology promises to prepare today's energy systems for the challenges of the future such as increasing demand, integration of distributed generation and fulfillment of the climate goals. Numerous Smart Grid applications have been proposed and some are already rolled out. Across these applications different kinds of information are acquired, processed and stored. In this paper a holistic view on the information in a Smart Grid and an approach for the design of a comprehensive information platform fostering integration, user acceptance and profitability of Smart Grids are presented. Security and privacy challenges emerging from this concept are reviewed critically and methods for reaching promising solutions are proposed.