Energy data spaces become truly relevant when they solve real problems for cities. EMPOWER-X, recently featured in Gaia-X Magazine — June 2026 edition as part of the Gaia-X Lighthouse Ecosystem, shows how trusted data sharing can support renewable EV charging in Rubí, Catalonia.
The challenge is how can a city prove that the energy used for EV charging comes from renewable sources, especially when solar production and charging demand do not always happen at the same time?
In Rubí, EMPOWER-X connects municipal photovoltaic production, EV charging consumption, smart-meter data and mobility services into a traceable system. The city provides a strong testbed, with 31 photovoltaic installations, 1.5 MWp of installed capacity and 15 EV charging points.
The solution combines operational energy monitoring, certification, tokenisation and traceability through ZertiPower, while the trust and governance layer applies Gaia-X principles such as rulebooks, access conditions, Verifiable Credentials, compliance and federation.
Ocean Enterprise Collective strengthens this model by adding a marketplace and data services layer. This enables the controlled publication, discovery and use of datasets, algorithms and Compute-to-Data services. For public infrastructure, this is essential: energy and mobility data can be sensitive, commercially valuable or linked to citizens, so controlled access is often preferable to moving raw datasets.
The Rubí pilot shows how trust, interoperability and data sovereignty can become practical infrastructure. Instead of relying on generic green claims, cities can monitor, certify and verify renewable energy use through auditable digital evidence.
For Ocean Enterprise, EMPOWER-X is a strong example of how data-service marketplaces can support real-world sustainability goals and help cities build replicable models for Positive Energy Districts. Read the full article here.
About Ocean Enterprise Collective
The Ocean Enterprise Collective e.V. (OEC) is a non-profit association committed to providing next generation data exchange software that is available to everyone and owned by no one.
The primary focus of OEC is designing, developing and maintaining Ocean Enterprise (OE), a free open-source enterprise-ready data ecosystem software solution that enables organizations to securely manage and monetize proprietary AI & data products and services in a trusted and compliant environment.
OEC members span numerous countries and represent various industries including agriculture, healthcare, aerospace, and manufacturing. We invite you to join us in actively shaping the future of data sharing, AI compliance, and decentralized marketplaces.
Get in touch with the Ocean Enterprise Collective team: info@oceanenterprise.io
