The energy transition has a data problem
The energy transition isn't just slowing down because of technology — data plays an equally big role. New assets and systems, from inverters and EV chargers to batteries, meters, and smart building installations, all speak slightly different languages. Every brand has its own data model, API, definitions, and communication protocol.
The result: connecting data costs time and money every single time, insights are difficult to compare, and sharing data with partners (ESG tools, energy management systems, energy suppliers, asset managers) remains custom work. And custom work is only fun up to a point.
What EDX solves
EDX is a data hub that structurally solves this problem by combining three things:
- Connectors to diverse data providers and smart solutions — so data actually comes in.
- A generic data model that standardizes data — so it becomes truly usable, comparable, and exchangeable.
- A comprehensive sharing infrastructure where data can be shared at the connection level, object level (think a house or even a smart neighborhood), or project level with other solutions or people.
This means integration is no longer a one-off project per vendor, but a reusable building block: connect and standardize once, then the same data stream can be directly used by multiple applications. On top of that, it suddenly becomes much easier to do data analysis and work on optimization of smart models.
This makes EDX scalable, interoperable, and ultimately much more cost-efficient — exactly what you need when you don't want to run one pilot, but want to be able to connect a hundred locations.
Tested at The Green Village
At The Green Village — TU Delft's open-air testing ground for sustainable innovation — data connections with various data providers and smart solution vendors were tested, including:
- GrowWatt — solar inverters
- Victron — energy storage and power conversion
- SolarEdge — solar optimizers and monitoring
- Alphen — smart energy solutions
- And more
By setting up these connections, not only were valuable connectors built that EDX users can reuse, but active work was also done on further developing the generic data model for different types of equipment and data streams.
Why The Green Village was the perfect test
The Green Village is an ideal testing environment because data is available at scale. That gave EDX a serious stress test to make the data infrastructure robust: many sources, many data points, lots of variation — exactly the reality you encounter in the field.
What made the collaboration especially valuable is that The Green Village strongly identifies with the same challenge EDX solves. As a living lab, you continuously have new data sources that you want to make transparent, but each source comes with its own data model and communication method. That makes collecting, comparing, and sharing data with stakeholders unnecessarily complex.
This is precisely why The Green Village wasn't just a test location, but also a perfect real-life use case for why standardization and reusable connectors are essential.
What this means for the platform
The connectors built during this collaboration are now part of the EDX connector library. Any EDX user working with GrowWatt, Victron, SolarEdge, or Alphen hardware can benefit from these integrations immediately — no custom development needed.
The stress testing at scale also helped refine EDX's data model and quality monitoring, making the platform more robust for real-world deployments across construction sites, energy communities, and smart buildings.
Read the full article on The Green Village's website: Energy Data Xchange at The Green Village
Frequently asked questions
What is The Green Village?
The Green Village is TU Delft's open-air testing ground for sustainable innovation. It's a living lab where companies, researchers, and students test new technologies in real-world conditions.
Which hardware brands were tested?
Connectors were built and tested for GrowWatt, Victron, SolarEdge, Alphen, and other data providers. These connectors are now available in the EDX connector library.
Can I use the connectors built at The Green Village?
Yes. All connectors developed during the collaboration are part of the EDX platform. If you work with any of these hardware brands, the integration is already done.