Electronic Market Communication from the Cloud
MaCo 2020 is dead. Long live MaCo 2022
Recently, the requirements of Ruling Chamber 6 of the Federal Network Agency (in German BNetzA) for electronic market communication in the electricity sector were adapted to the requirements of the Metering Point Operation Act (MaCo 2020 or in German MaKo 2020). Now preparations are underway for MaCo 2022.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could use an all-round carefree package from the cloud for this? For users of all market roles, especially energy suppliers, metering point operators, but also network operators, outsourcing market communication (e.g., MaCo 2020, MaCo 2022, Redispatch 2.0, etc.) to the cloud has several advantages. Many utilities and other players in the market feel that market communication, which does not directly add value, is an extremely onerous duty. This is mainly due to the semi-annual updating of formats and rules and the associated need to constantly install new software releases. With an on-premise solution, this results in a hardly calculable installation and testing effort for the companies each time. However, if the market communication runs in the cloud and is managed centrally, users have virtually no more burden with these things. Their effort shrinks to a minimum, and they can use their resources in day-to-day business in a more value-adding way.
Professionalize Automation and Digitization
It would be conceivable to find a solution that integrates as a specialist module within a platform that also provides numerous system functionalities as a framework, such as client separation, role and rights concepts, and job configuration. At the same time, the solution for market communication with different platforms had to be flexible and highly integrative, even in combination with any backend systems and specialist modules from other system manufacturers. The applicability of the solution as a data hub with enterprise application integration functionalities, which is available in addition to classic EDIFACT communication, would offer particular added value.
Efficiency Increase Already from Onboarding
The cloud approach also makes onboarding easier and faster for users. Although the systems must initially be cleanly linked with each other, this is no longer such a major project for the users. In addition, the risk of incorrect configurations is reduced thanks to the standardized template approach. As a result, and thanks to plausibility functions in the tool, fewer inconsistencies and data inconsistencies occur in day-to-day business, which in turn reduces the number of unpopular clarification cases. And when clarification cases do occur, they can be stringently resolved without having to be familiar with EDIFACT.
Regardless of whether MaCo 2020, MaCo 2022, Redispatch 2.0 or what new requirements the energy transition will place on market communication in the future – with a reliable and automated cloud solution, there is more time for the many other tasks in the daily business of an energy supplier.
And last but not least: nothing would change for the market locations or metering locations (MaLo/MeLo) and of course for the end customer.
More and more market participants are exchanging more and more data in increasingly complex processes. Market communication in the energy market is therefore becoming more complicated - but it can also be automated and made more efficient with clever IT solutions. Learn more in the blog post by Andreas Pöhner.
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