Security concerns slow digitalisation of the Energiewende

Security concerns are delaying the introduction of smart meters in Germany, IT expert Peter Welchering says in an interview with public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk. The intelligent technology is crucial to managing intermittent power supply from renewable energy but, Welchering says, “there probably won’t be happening much in terms of smart meters before 2022” because the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) is not satisfied with the security of the meters’ external communication units. A combination of cumbersome policymaking and insufficient transparency on the part of manufacturers has contributed to the delay, with each side blaming the other, Welchering told Deutschlandfunk.

Find the interview in German here.

See the CLEW dossier The digitalisation of the Energiewende for background.