Karman is built on a custom module that leverages the NVIDIA Jetson platform for AI in order to capture and analyse data to improve grid operations and manage distributed energy resources (DERs).

A first for the Karman platform, the integration should bring a new level of data insights to Aclara smart meter implementers, with up to a stated 100 times more processing power than traditional solutions.

Local AI models also will continuously learn to improve in areas such as grid planning, grid operations, load management, customer service and more.

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“As the grid becomes increasingly more complex and dynamic, utilities need more technology options to operate a clean and reliable grid,” comments Erik Christian, Division President, Grid Automation of Hubbell, of which Aclara is a division.

“By combining Utilidata’s extensive knowledge of distributed AI with Aclara’s decades of experience providing industry-leading hardware, we’re now able to bring new, innovative, interoperable solutions to our customers, starting with smart meters.”

A company statement reports that the partnership follows the trend of market momentum and federal funding driving the utility industry’s need to modernise and report its operational efficiencies, for which distributed AI holds vast potential.

In October 2023, the Department of Energy announced $3.5 billion in funding for grid modernisation projects, including awards to Portland General Electric, Duquesne Light Company and Commonwealth Edison Company to deploy over 100,000 Karman units to increase reliability and accelerate decarbonisation and electrification.

Elizabeth Cook, Vice President of Technical Strategy of the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies, said that utilities are seeking more options for new and innovative technologies, like distributed AI, for easily accessible and actionable data.

“Utilidata’s partnership with Aclara makes it easier for utilities to integrate this important technology as the industry continues to build a smart and adaptive grid that is resilient and reliable for customers.”

Josh Brumberger, CEO of Utilidata, points to a meter-embedded distributed AI platform as only a beginning.

“There are more opportunities beyond meters within the electric grid ecosystem that can benefit from having easy to access data and predictive analytics.”

As I was thinking about the content of this week’s tech talk, an article appeared in the popular press about a proposed plan to sheath the edge of the Thwaites glacier in Antarctica with a 100km long curtain to protect it from melting and potentially raising sea levels up to a suggested three metres.

The argument is that while a slow melt occurs as the warmer undersea current comes into contact with the edge of the glacier, as the climate warms so the undersea currents get warmer and the melting accelerates.

Moreover with that warming also the winter refreezing results in less ice recovery.

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Such geoengineering, or ‘engineering’ of the climate, is increasingly being talked about as scientists look for ways to slow or halt global warming.

Indeed, it is already being practised in the form of carbon capture from the atmosphere.

John Moore, professor of climate change at the University of Lapland’s Arctic Centre in Finland, is said to be on a mission to save the Thwaites glacier and quoted as expressing confidence the Antarctic Treaty countries will foot the $50 billion bill.

Cool Earth

So too is Yoram Rosen, director of the Asher Space Research Institute at the Technion Israel, who also has been in the news recently with a different type of geoengineering mission – in this case by placing a large shield out in space between the Sun and Earth to reduce the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth.

The Institute, which claims to be developing a demonstrator in collaboration with the National Centre for Space and Science in the United Arab Emirates and the Israeli geospatial company ImageSat International, believes that a large-scale initiative has the potential to contribute significantly to the reduction of global warming by up to 1.5^oC.

The ‘Cool Earth’ proposal is to place the satellite at the first Lagrange point – a distance of about 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth towards the Sun where the gravitational forces of the two bodies cancel each other allowing a satellite there to remain in essentially a fixed position.

In practice, the satellite would exhibit a slight back-and-forth motion by controlling the shading sail, which also could be used to alter the amount of solar shading according to global climate needs.

“This ground-breaking project offers an original way to cope with the global climate crisis and perhaps even stop its destructive effects,” asserts the Institute’s website.

“Controlling the amount of energy that reaches the earth from the sun may even allow humanity in the future to directly control the desired climate over areas of interest on the earth and possibly prevent droughts and other climate-related natural disasters.”

The Asher researchers have estimated that to achieve the desired temperature reduction, the shade would need to be around 2.5 million km2 in extent – for perspective, in size between the areas of Saudi Arabia and Argentina.

The researchers haven’t stated when they expect the demonstrator to be ready to fly but there are numerous hurdles to be overcome before a large-scale initiative such as this – or any other large-scale geoengineering proposal – could be put into practice, not least the moral with the potential unknown side effect that could occur.

In a recent paper, modelling solar geoengineering – such as the Asher Institute proposal – and carbon dioxide removal, Moore of the Thwaites glacier proposal and the co-authors suggest that combined with the standard mitigation measures they could help to limit global warming.

However, they conclude more cautiously: “Scientific uncertainties surrounding the effectiveness, scalability, and long-term impacts of solar geoengineering and carbon dioxide removal techniques necessitate comprehensive research, rigorous modelling and robust international collaboration to mitigate the risks inherent in unintended consequences and to inform responsible decision-making.”

What are your views on solar geoengineering and should it pursued?

Jonathan Spencer Jones

Specialist writer
Smart Energy International

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Active in over 40 countries and five continents, MYTILINEOS’ activities on the energy side of the business span across grids, power plants, thermal technologies and renewable energy sources (RES), all contributing to a sustainable and vibrant energy future.

On the Metals side, MYTILINEOS is the largest bauxite producer in Europe, operating the sole bauxite to aluminum integrated unit in the European Union, with aluminium recycling making up about a quarter of overall production in 2023

Grids driving the green revolution

Managing an extensive portfolio of 30 ongoing power projects across 10 countries, MYTILINEOS M Power Projects segment showcases the kind of global reach and impact that transcends all segments.

With a thermal project portfolio exceeding 16GW for third parties worldwide, the company is actively involved in constructing natural gas-fired power plants in the UK and Poland, illustrating its commitment to expanding its international operational footprint.

MYTILINEOS recognises the pivotal role that grids play in shaping the future of our energy landscape, paralleling the significance of renewable energy sources. Beyond being instrumental in the green transition, grids open up exciting avenues for growth and collaboration.

According to the European Union, a substantial €584 billion (US$634 billion) investment is needed in new networks and the upgrading of existing infrastructure, setting the stage for a sustainable energy evolution.

Recently, MYTILINEOS as awarded a £1 billion (US$1.3 billion) contract to construct the UK’s first high-capacity East Coast subsea link in collaboration with GE Vernova, benefitting Scottish Power and the UK’s National Grid, enabling the transmission of renewable green energy to power more than two million homes across the UK.

Based on track record, MYTILINEOS has completed among others a significant 130km interconnection line between Maritsa East 1 (BG) and Nea Santa (EL), enhancing transfer capacity and ensuring safe integration of renewable energy in northeast Greece and Bulgaria.

Expertise in designing and building high voltage lines, like the DISTOMO-High Voltage Centre AGIOS NIKOLAOS I & II transmission line, another of the Company’s major projects, is crucial for safe distribution and supporting increased power flows.

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Cutting-edge power generation: the energy trilemma

In the realm of natural gas, MYTILINEOS is a standout player in the Southeastern Europe market, engaging in extensive trading and supplying operations.

Seven state-of-the-art industrial thermal (gas-fired) power plants showcase MYTILINEOS’s commitment to innovation and energy security, boasting cutting-edge technology that enables an annual power generation exceeding 5TWh. These plants not only signify technological prowess but also underline the company’s dedication to meeting the surging global demand for energy.

Countries worldwide grapple with the energy ‘trilemma’, balancing accessibility, affordability and sustainability. Recent crises have spotlighted vulnerabilities in existing energy infrastructure, highlighting the need for a transition towards more sustainable and integrated solutions.

Global impact: portfolio, expansion and commitment

Founded in Greece in 1990, MYTILINEOS has evolved into a global player with a firm commitment to the communities it serves. As a publicly listed company on the Athens Stock Exchange, boasting a consolidated turnover of €5.5 billion and an EBITDA of €1 billion, MYTILINEOS possesses the financial strength to invest in cutting-edge technologies and projects that contribute to sustainable energy solutions globally.

Moreover, the company is a leader in renewable energy projects across Europe, Chile, Australia, the Americas, and Asia. With a capacity of 14GW in different stages of development, these initiatives underscore MYTILINEOS’s commitment to shaping a cleaner and more sustainable energy landscape.

Shaping the energy transition future

MYTILINEOS is not just an energy company; it’s an energy transition powerhouse. As it pioneers advancements in grids, power plants, thermal technologies, customer solutions and renewable energy, MYTILINEOS remains dedicated to a future where energy is not just accessible and affordable, but most importantly, sustainable.

With innovation as its driving force, MYTILINEOS continues to empower the future of energy, contributing to a world where sustainable solutions thrive.

About MYTILINEOS

MYTILINEOS Energy & Metals, founded in Greece in 1990, is an industrial and energy multinational company, listed on the Athens Stock Exchange, with a consolidated turnover of €5.5 billion and EBITDA of €1 billion with activities across 40 countries and 5 continents. Through the energy sector, the company is strategically positioned at the forefront of the energy transition as an integrated utility of the future, while through the metallurgy sector the company is establishing as a benchmark for competitive ‘green’ metallurgy in the European landscape. Focused on sustainability, it has set a target to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 30% by 2030 and achieve by 2050 net zero carbon footprint in all its operations in accordance with the criteria for Environment, Society and Governance (ESG).

Though the ‘edge’ has been talked about for years, it is increasingly taking central stage as more and more homes and businesses take up solar and battery systems, switch to electric vehicles ((EVs) and heat pumps and instal the smart appliances that are advertised as bringing more convenience to life.

In broad terms the edge is where the utility and customer meet and is effectively represented by the meter – the utility side in front of the meter and the customer side behind the meter.

With this growth of decentralised resources and the increasingly complex and unpredictable power flows, some of the risks include the likely emergence of hyper-local capacity constraints and that ageing infrastructure can be put at risk.

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But there has been what Itron has termed a ‘control gap’, with the challenge that whereas a typical SCADA manages approximately 1,000 assets per million customers and a typical advanced distribution management systems 10,000 assets, that to the point of service is a further two orders of magnitude greater at around 1 million points.

But that is changing, with the evolution of IT and other technologies opening the way for a variety of new products and services to provide visibility and control to address the challenges of the evolving grid.

Itron’s grid edge intelligence portfolio

A pioneer of edge intelligence in the energy sector, Itron has consolidated its offerings into a cloud-based edge intelligence portfolio combining connectivity, analytics and applications with intelligence for AMI operations and optimisers for the low and medium voltage grid, DERs and EVs, coupled to a central datahub.

To simplify the process the Itron Enterprise Edition has been made available in the Microsoft Azure marketplace, also opening the way for integrating the Azure OpenAI generative AI solution for users to expedite and improve visibility on data and operations.

Among the new solutions launched are Active Transformer Load and Voltage Monitoring (ATLM/ATVM) applications to enable visibility on transformer loading and voltage statistics in real-time along with configurable threshold-based alarms.

Key for broader uptake of the solutions is partnerships with other providers with these opening the way for Itron’s grid edge intelligence solutions to be integrated into Schneider Electric’s digital grid solutions and to GE Vernova’s new GridOS Data Fabric alongside the GridOS apps.

A further partnership is with the Mobility House as part of its Fast & Flexible Interconnect (FIX) programme for charging of EV fleets in constrained distribution systems.

Don Reeves, senior VP of Outcomes at Itron, reports that customers have advised that the company’s Grid Edge Intelligence portfolio can enhance grid capacity by approximately 20% through the optimisation of existing grid assets.

“Utilities are operating in a more complex environment than ever before and there is a real sense of urgency that change is needed to ensure grid reliability, resiliency and sustainability and improve the customer experience.”

Landis+Gyr and Span partnership

Landis+Gyr has announced a partnership with home electrification technology developer Span, with the first joint product combining their respective solutions to deliver a grid edge solution with circuit-level billing-grade metering, DER visibility and controls.

Describing the co-innovated solution as “a whole-home multi-asset virtual power plant (VPP)”, Werner Lieberherr, CEO of Landis+Gyr, says: “The partnership not only expands our flexibility management platform but also helps [utilities] reduce costly grid infrastructure investments required for electrification. We’re particularly excited to bring SPAN’s service upgrade avoidance capabilities and intuitive app experience … to drive energy efficiency and flexibility.”

While full details of the solution are still to be released, the companies promise to evaluate it in pilots with US utilities starting later in the year.

Siemens Gridscale X

Siemens has launched Gridscale X as a modular software to scale grid capacity and handle the complexity of DERs.

A key component of Gridscale X is DER Insights which is designed to unlock visibility over the distribution grid, with features including the location and behaviour of DERs, grid impact identification and digital grid mapping and modelling.

“With the electrification of everything and the exponential growth of DERs, there is an urgent need for increasing grid capacity fast,” says Sabine Erlinghagen, CEO Siemens Grid Software, pointing to the use of such software as enabling utilities to focus on critical infrastructure upgrades and reducing the impact and occurrence of grid equipment failure, outages and technical debt.

Users of these or similar softwares are invited to contact us with case studies.

Jonathan Spencer Jones

Specialist writer
Smart Energy International

Follow me on Linkedin

Generative AI appears to be attracting as much interest in the energy sector as it is concerned.

New data from IBM, unveiled at DISTRIBUTECH International, indicate that almost three-quarters of energy and utility companies surveyed have implemented or are exploring using AI in their operations.

Moreover, in an earlier survey two-thirds of energy and resource CEOs felt they are more likely than their global peers to expect to realise value in the next three years from generative AI and automation.

However, an almost similar percentage expressed concerns about the sources of data used in generative AI.

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As the latest iteration of AI, generative AI is attracting much interest in the energy sector, as elsewhere, with tentative steps being taken as utilities investigate use cases where it can add value.

Itron integrates Microsoft Azure OpenAI

So far few energy solution providers have incorporated generative AI into their offerings and among the frontrunners is Itron, which ahead of DISTRIBUTECH 2024 announced what should prove a significant innovation for the sector with its integration of the Microsoft Azure OpenAI service.

Initially, the integration of the OpenAI service – which is based on the same model as ChatGPT – is with the Itron Enterprise Edition Meter Data Management system, distributed intelligence applications and Itron’s cloud-based DataHub platform, which is intended as the common access point for all data from the company’s portfolio.

This includes data created by Itron as well as that from third-party DI applications, such as load disaggregation, transformer connectivity and loading data.

With the OpenAI solution users should be enabled to get answers to questions, perform tasks, access data across the MDM and on the DataHub and for example use plain language queries to generate charts and reports as well as receive suggestions and feedback to improve data quality, accuracy and analysis.

“Through this collaboration [with Microsoft], we will enable utilities and cities to leverage the power of generative AI to boost efficiency, unlock creativity and enhance data management,” said Don Reeves, Senior Vice President of Outcomes at Itron.

IBM’s watsonx governance

While IBM’s watsonx generative AI and data platform for utilities and other enterprises was announced in May 2023, the latest addition to it is the governance toolkit that is designed to allow users to direct, manage and monitor their AI.

In particular, it is aimed to strengthen a company’s ability to detect and mitigate risks, manage changing regulatory requirements and address ethical concerns for both generative AI and machine learning models.

Casey Werth, IBM Global Energy Industry General Manager, says that as energy and utility CEOs manage their ongoing transformation efforts, they can also capitalise on the opportunities of generative AI and foundation models.

“In doing so they need to remember to focus on their own data, how it is gathered, accessed and used within their workflows along with the governance that should be baked into their tools and processes.”

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Graphene is often described as the ‘wonder material’ and it has a name for it but that is for applications such as energy storage.

But another candidate for the moniker is the less high-tech sounding perovskite that is expected to bring the next step change for solar photovoltaics, with new levels of efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Perovskite, which is named after the Russian mineralogist Lev Perovski following its discovery in Russia’s Ural Mountains in 1839, is a naturally occurring mineral of calcium titanium oxide (CaTiO3).

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Despite being so long known it is only in this century that perovskites, i.e. not only perovskite itself but also other materials with a similar chemical structure that occur both naturally and can be synthesised in the lab, have been found to have a range of unusual physical properties such as superconductivity and ferroelectricity.

This makes them suitable for a range of applications, of which solar cells have emerged as the most prominent, with the potential to offer a low-cost, high-efficiency product – around at least 20% more than that of traditional silicon cells – that could boost the global renewables revolution.

But that potential has also come with challenges, in particular the stability of perovskites to the day-to-day environmental factors to which they must be subject, such as moisture, light and temperature.

No surprise then that the development of perovskites has seen, and is seeing, considerable investment and research interest along with the entry of new startups with the prospect of a major market opportunity.

Commercialising perovskite solar cells

Though they have yet to become fully commercialised, that day is not far off with Oxford PV, a spin-off from the University of Oxford in the UK, at the forefront after over a decade of developing the technology.

Oxford PV, founded in 2010 to advance solar PV but only latterly focussing exclusively on perovskites has pioneered the ‘tandem cell’ approach in which perovskite is added on top of conventional silicon solar cells to enhance their performance while maintaining the standard cell footprint.

In May 2023 Oxford PV recorded a record 28.6% cell conversion efficiency and in January 2024 a record panel efficiency of 25% compared with the averages for standard silicon cells and panels around 22 to 23%.

Moreover, Oxford PV’s theoretical maximum efficiency for its tandem cell approach is more than 40% compared with less than 30% for the standard cells.

“This new world record is a crucial milestone for Oxford PV, proving that our tandem solar cells can deliver record-breaking performance when assembled into solar panels,” said David Ward, CEO of Oxford PV, commenting in the January announcement that it is a first step in what should be a “transformative 2024”.

While R&D is continuing to improve the efficiency of the technology with a roadmap to go well beyond 30%, Oxford PV has reported starting production of its tandem cells at its Brandenburg-an-der-Havel site near Berlin in Germany – an acquisition of a former production site from Bosch Solar.

These are then expected to start coming to the market later in 2024, not directly but through their integration into modules of manufacturers in the market.

At the same time, Oxford PV is searching for a new high-volume manufacturing site with a particular eye on the US, where a subsidiary has been registered.

Perovskites in space

Just as perovskites are expected to become the solar PV product of choice for the next generation rooftop and utility-scale deployments, so too they are being eyed for use in space as an alternative to the go-to gallium arsenide cells.

Solar PV is essential in space for providing on-board power to orbiting satellites and for example the International Space Station. Gallium arsenide cells have become the technology of choice for their high absorption but more importantly, their ability to withstand the harsh space environment.

However, the main challenge with their use is the manufacturing costs primarily resulting from the scarcity of gallium and the more complex manufacturing process.

That is where perovskites are expected to have the potential to come in, because of their simpler manufacturing. Another key benefit is their versatility for diverse applications, from lightweight to bendable solar panels – a key factor for the proposed kilometre-scale satellites proposed to deliver solar energy to the Earth from space.

An understanding of the behaviour of perovskites in space is still ongoing, however.

In the Caltech space-based solar demonstrator which ran for most of 2023, the perovskite cells were found to exhibit marked variability in performance, whereas the low cost manufactured gallium arsenide cells had consistently performed well overall.

An earlier 10-month demonstration on the International Space Station also revealed some unusual properties about their absorption characteristics with varying temperature, with both a ‘self healing’ quality and enhanced light absorption that could make them particularly suitable for long-duration missions.

“A lot of people doubted that these materials could ever be strong enough to deal with the harsh environment of space,” said NASA research engineer Dr Lyndsey McMillon-Brown announcing the findings in May 2023, adding: “Not only do they survive, but in some ways, they thrived.”

With space technology developments often spinning off to Earth-based applications, this is a space to also keep watching.

And if you are involved in the development of perovskites, be sure to keep us updated with your findings.

Jonathan Spencer Jones

Specialist writer
Smart Energy International

Follow me on Linkedin

Providing a comprehensive understanding of grid orchestration, its challenges, and the transformative potential it holds, this eBook focuses on:

1. Grid Orchestration: The art of harmonising diverse energy sources, demand patterns, and grid infrastructure.
   • Explore the role of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and predictive analytics in optimising grid operations.
     
2. Decentralisation: The shift toward decentralised energy production.
   • Decentralised grids empower local communities, enhance resilience, and reduce reliance on centralised power plants.
     
3. Smart Grids: Smart grid technologies, including advanced sensors, real-time data analytics, and demand-side management.
   • Smart grids enable efficient load balancing, fault detection, and self-healing capabilities.
     
4. Cybersecurity Challenges: Grid orchestration faces cybersecurity threats due to increased connectivity.
   • The importance of robust security measures to safeguard critical infrastructure.
     
5. Renewable Integration: Integrating renewable energy sources seamlessly into the grid.
   • Addressing challenges related to intermittency, storage, and grid stability.
     
6. Policy and Regulation: Policy frameworks and regulatory aspects influencing grid orchestration.
   • Balancing innovation with compliance is crucial for a sustainable energy future.

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Accelerating the energy transition with Artificial Intelligence

“Orchestrating the Grid” eBook, serves as a roadmap for energy professionals, policymakers, and researchers. By embracing grid orchestration, together we can create a resilient, efficient, and sustainable energy future.

In the latest Europe smart meter review, Berg Insight reports that at the end of 2023, there were more than 186 million smart electricity meters – an increase of about 4% over 2022.

By 2028 the installed base is projected to grow at an over 6% CAGR to reach 78% penetration by 2028, driven by second generation rollouts in countries such as the UK, Italy, Spain and Sweden alongside first generation projects in Germany, Poland and Greece.

For 2022, the last year for which data is broken down, Italy was the largest market in terms of shipments with around 2.6 million units installed during the year.

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This was followed by the UK with more than 2.5 million units and Sweden with shipments of around 1.4–1.5 million units.

Poland and France rounded out the top five in terms of shipment volumes, while other markets with large installation volumes during the year included Austria and Belgium.

Looking ahead, as countries aim to meet targets, Berg Insight projects a total of more than 88 million smart electricity meters to be deployed across the region from 2024 to 2028.

In the period, replacements of first-generation smart meters are expected to be in the range of 25–40% of total smart meter shipments in Europe throughout the next five years, or 4–8 million units annually.

Eastern Europe

With the rollouts in many countries in western Europe and the Nordics now either well advanced or largely completed, the focus is increasingly shifting to central, east and southeast Europe, Berg Insight comments.

The outlook for the region has improved significantly over the past years with multiple major rollouts now planned or already under way. Overall, the CEE and southeast European region is expected to account for as much as half of the annual EU smart meter shipments in 2028, up from less than a third in 2022.

Looking only at the growth in annual shipment volumes of first-generation smart meter projects, all the ten fastest growing markets can be found in CEE and southeastern Europe.

Wireless technologies

Berg Insight also points to the impact on Europe’s smart metering market from the development of new wireless technologies for IoT communications and in particular the growing traction of 3GPP-based LPWA technologies such as NB-IoT and LTE-M.

Several major deployments utilising these technologies are now either underway or about to begin in Benelux, the Nordics and Baltics.

3GPP-based LPWA is expected to more than quadruple its smart meter connectivity market share throughout the forecast period.

At the moment, various forms of PLC will remain the dominant technology group in terms of installed base although standalone wireless communications options are forecast to account for over half of shipment volumes during the forecast period.

Gas smart meters

The adoption of smart metering is also growing fast in the European gas distribution market, Berg Insight reports.

At the end of 2023, the installed base was around 56 million units and is expected to increase at a rate of around 5-6 million units annually to 78 million units, amounting to a penetration of over 61%, by 2028.

Shipment volumes are expected to decrease in Italy until 2025 and then increase until the end of the forecast period while yearly shipments in France are at around 0.1 million.

The UK market is expected to gradually ramp up smart gas meter installations and reach a peak of 3.4 million units in 2025.

A significant volume of smart gas meter installations is also anticipated in additional countries over the coming years, particularly Spain and Belgium, where the former will account for almost a quarter of yearly shipment volumes in Europe by 2028.

GridOS Data Fabric, claimed a first for grid orchestration, uses data federation to access the decentralised data, enabling multiple datasets to be combined and then virtualised to create a centralised view across the grid ecosystem, from transmission to distribution and the edge and across information technology and operational technology applications.

With this grid operators should be able to discover, govern and utilise large volumes of highly distributed data from multiple sources for improved and more rapid decision making while orchestrating the grid in real time.

“Energy data plays a key role in delivering a more efficient grid. Utilities will need to connect energy data from across the grid ecosystem to effectively automate grid operations, orchestrating more intelligent, secure and resilient grid that is ready and built for future electrification needs,” says Mahesh Sudhakaran, General Manager at GE Vernova’s Grid Software business.

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“By leveraging energy data, AI and machine learning powered technologies, utilities can move at speed to meet demand while addressing renewables management and electrification challenges.”

The GridOS strategy is centred around a modular, composable, data-driven software portfolio designed to orchestrate a more sustainable energy grid and help utilities keep pace with the energy transition, a GE Vernova statement says.

The announcement of GridOS Data Fabric, which follows GE Vernova’s acquisition of Greenbird Integration Technology and is the first major addition since the launch of GridOS a year ago, also includes GridOS Connect.

GridOS Connect is an energy data integration engine as a key component for the federated grid data fabric that feeds continuously updated data sets into the system – information that traditionally has been difficult for utilities to compile and analyse.

Itron collaboration

With the release, GE Vernova also has announced a collaboration with Itron, which intends to leverage GridOS Data Fabric to connect grid operations and grid edge data from sources such as residential solar, electric vehicles and more.

Don Reeves, Senior Vice President of Outcomes at Itron, says that a key component of the GridOS Data Fabric software is its ability to connect and integrate data to make more accurate real-time decisions to enable a reliable and resilient grid.

“The data to be exchanged with Itron’s grid edge intelligence solutions can provide new insights to promote grid stability and to train and power AI and machine learning applications that help automate key aspects of the grid operation.”

Indeed the title of the session, the Energy Innovation Forum, gives it away.

But what is innovation? I and daresay many others tend to think first of advances in technologies, but ultimately it is much more than that and there is the need for innovation across multiple fronts – policy and funding to name some, in addition to technology – to be able to achieve the various climate targets as set out to culminate in net zero by 2050.

Just as the social sciences started becoming part of science policy in the 1990s so too they are now becoming part of innovation with more than one speaker highlighting the need for the human aspect to be placed at its centre.

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“It is important to recognise innovation in all its forms. It’s exciting to hear about some of the key technological breakthroughs but that is just one part of the equation and it’s good and necessary but not enough,” said David Turk, US Deputy Secretary of Energy, in his summing up.

“The human piece is incredibly important throughout … It’s not just human behaviour for the technologies that are consumer-facing but it has to work for the businesses, the incumbents, the other parts of the system as well,” he continued.

“We should be working for the betterment of fellow citizens around the world,” he said.

Another aspect of innovation that he highlighted as a takeaway from the discussions is the need to consider the full innovation cycle with the need to move from pilot to scale up but with what appears today a limited focus on the demonstration phase.

Turk suggested that AI and machine learning could play a role in shrinking the innovation cycle.

A third is “connecting the dots” between all the parties in the sector and the fourth related to this is knowledge sharing on at least a real-time basis and the tracking of progress.

“The IEA’s tracking of clean energy progress last year found that only three of the 50 technologies and sectors were on target and those are impressive but we need that across the board.”

Innovation looking ahead

Part of the focus of the meeting was to get input on areas that the IEA should focus on to advance energy innovation in the years ahead.

In her summing up, Amanda Wilson, Director-General of the Office of R&D at National Resources Canada and chair of the IEA’s energy research committee, pointed to technology priorities that arose in the discussions including needs around products and software such as AI, batteries for storage and electrolysis for hydrogen and large scale processes including industry decarbonisation, carbon capture and storage and nuclear.

The needs of emerging economies also arose as a key topic, particularly around energy access, clean cooking and digital skills.

Then on top of those inputs, numerous more were from participants in an hour long session with the general sentiment among the specifics being the need for the IEA to draw on its expertise and for example its tracking and analytical skills to address all the facets of innovation and to advise on and support the acceleration of the energy transition.

Technology advisory body

A notable aspect of the IEA’s work over the years is the broadening of its scope as reflected in the breadth of its reports, covering countries and technologies and not least the net zero pathway that forms the baseline for its future work.

In their communique from the meeting, and taking into account the input from participants, the ministers said they reiterate their commitment to support energy RD&D to reach the 2050 objectives, including through the IEA’s technology collaboration programmes.

The ministers also indicated support for further discussion towards the establishment of a technology advisory body of innovators, investors and industry and to foster synergies between international initiatives such as the IEA TCPs – of which the International Smart Grid Action Network is one – the Clean Energy Ministerial and Mission Innovation.

As these occur we will continue to report on but in the meantime let us know the innovations you are working on.

Jonathan Spencer Jones

Specialist writer
Smart Energy International

Follow me on Linkedin

According to the report from Airswift, which surveyed 12,000 energy professionals across oil and gas, renewables, power, nuclear and petrochemicals, 30% of power professionals already use AI – slightly ahead of the energy industry average of 27%.

A further 12%, states the report, are expecting to adopt AI within six months. Within the 86% of those positive of its impact, many are anticipating an uplift in their productivity (78%), improved career progression opportunities (64%) and spending more time with family and friends (59%).

Nearly all respondents to the GETI 2024 report say AI will increase demand for skills, with two-thirds (64%) of power professionals expecting AI to increase pressure on them to acquire new skills. Technical skills such as programming, software engineering, data science and machine learning are where power professionals perceive the greatest demand.

When exploring the relationship between potential skills development opportunities and expected future demand, initial findings highlight cybersecurity as an area the industry may need to proactively develop to shore up skills. Notably, cybersecurity is considered a key risk to greater AI use, alongside a reduction in the human touch, and a lack of training leading to misuse or poor adoption.

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The report also found the need for soft skills like critical thinking, problem-solving and creative thinking, which are expected to increase, highlighting the unique human capabilities that complement AI technologies.

Janette Marx, CEO of Airswift, said in a release: “Power professionals are not only receptive to the evolving technological landscape, but also are keen on upskilling in areas like AI, machine learning, programming and IT. This presents a significant opportunity for hiring managers to attract and retain talent by fostering an environment of continual learning and skills development.”

Salaries and global mobility

Despite experiencing steady salary growth, with 54% of power professionals reporting an income increase, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, the workforce remains dynamic in seeking career advancement opportunities.

A staggering 91% of professionals are open to changing roles within or even outside the energy sector. Renewables remains the alternative sector of choice (54%), followed by oil and gas (36%). Beyond energy, 35% would move to the technology sector with manufacturing becoming steadily more attractive, rising 7 percentage points since 2022.

These findings come during a unique phase of salary stability, with 77% of professionals expecting a further increase in income, complemented by a similar optimism among hiring managers. This financial stability coexists with a high mobility mindset, with 83% of professionals open to relocation.

Janette Marx, CEO of Airswift, added: “Though most in the sector are open to moving roles, we know they prize career progression, and hiring managers have a great chance to boost retention by giving professionals opportunities to develop the skills identified.”

Digitalisation is very much front and centre in the energy sector currently and it is too in other sectors as they look to harness the benefits.

While key enablers of digitalisation, such as data centres and artificial intelligence are of concern as their number and the level of activities grow, a new study from Capgemini’s research institute indicates that the implementation of the digital technologies themselves can yield savings.

According to the study, through their implementation organisations have reduced their energy consumption by almost a quarter over the past five years, while also a 21% decrease in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has been delivered.

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Moreover, further reductions are in prospect, even as digital footprints expand.

The use of technologies to reduce the carbon footprint, coupled with advances in energy efficiency within the digital landscape, suggest that the benefits are expected to outweigh the environmental costs, affirming the significant positive impact of digital technologies, the report states.

The eco-digital era

The report projects that the eco-digital economy – i.e., that delivers economic value and environmental and social value – will grow at a rate of 15% annually to double in size over the next five years.

Digital platforms and software drive this, 5G comms and emerging technologies such as generative AI, digital twins and quantum computing, with outcomes expected to boost innovation, productivity and decision-making and drive the emergence of new revenue streams.

Based on the five-year emissions reductions of the organisations, growth scenario modelling by Capgemini Research Institute indicates that over the next five years, digital technologies could deliver a net emission reduction of between 8-12%, significantly outweighing their associated 2% footprint.

For example, tools such as augmented and virtual reality reduce the need for travel.

Energy consumption can be optimised with digital solutions and they can be used to aid informed decision-making to mitigate environmental impact.

A case cited is LG Electronics in Changwon, South Korea. It achieved a 17% productivity boost, 70% higher product quality and a 30% energy consumption reduction by converting its assembly-line simulation into a digital twin integrated with real-time data.

Another is Schneider Electric, which at its Le Vaudreuil site has implemented IIoT sensors and real-time digital twins of plant installations, resulting in a 25% reduction in energy consumption and a 25% reduction in emissions as well as a 17% decrease in material waste.

Additionally, a zero-reject water-recycling station connected to cloud analytics and monitored by an AI model at the company’s smart factory has led to a 64% reduction in water usage.

The research also indicates that organisations have only scratched the surface of the current technological landscape, harnessing around 25% of the overarching potential of mainstream digitalisation technologies such as AI/ML, robotics, automation and the Internet of Things.

This indicates immense untapped possibilities in digital innovation – and with digital investment as a proportion of revenue expected to double in the next five years, these will undoubtedly result.

For reference, the top investment priorities are scaling mainstream technologies such as data and the cloud, cybersecurity and privacy measures and reskilling of the existing workforce.

Capgemini’s research institute also provides some recommendations on how to harness the opportunities of the eco-digital era.

These include identifying efficiencies across the business to drive cost savings, striving for a balanced blend of short-to-medium-term successes and reinvesting savings into digital transformation.

Sustainability and accessible performance metrics also should be embedded into the product and services lifecycle.

The study was based on a survey of 1,500 senior executives at large global organisations and high-value start-ups, and so it is not energy sector-specific. Nevertheless, it highlights not only the internal benefits your company can achieve but also the external with a further recommendation to tap into the industry and supplier ecosystem, i.e. of you the reader, to accelerate improvements.

Jonathan Spencer Jones

Specialist writer
Smart Energy International

Follow me on Linkedin

The new generative AI functionality with a conversational user interface is aimed to bring a conversational element to predictive maintenance and make it more intuitive and effective, Siemens has stated in a statement.

Senseye Predictive Maintenance already uses AI and machine learning to automatically generate machine and maintenance worker behaviour models to direct users’ attention and expertise to where it’s needed most.

Machine and maintenance data are analysed by machine learning algorithms, and the platform presents notifications to users within static, self-contained cases.

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With the generative AI functionality, users will be able to introduce knowledge from other machines and systems through conversation facilitated between the user, AI and maintenance experts.

This interactive dialogue should streamline the decision-making process, making it faster and more efficient.

“By harnessing the power of machine learning, generative AI and human insights, we’re taking Senseye Predictive Maintenance to the next level,” comments Margherita Adragna, CEO, Customer Services for Digital Industries at Siemens AG.

“The new functionality makes predictive maintenance more conversational and intuitive – helping our customers to streamline maintenance processes, enhance productivity and optimise resources. This marks an important milestone in countering skill shortage and supporting our customer’s digital transformation.”

Siemens describes the introduction of generative AI as enabling a shift from predictive maintenance to prescriptive maintenance.

In the app, generative AI can scan and group cases in multiple languages and seek similar past cases and their solutions to provide context for current issues.

It’s also capable of processing data from different maintenance software.

For security, the information is processed within a private cloud environment and will be safeguarded against external access. Additionally, the data will not be used to train any external generative AI.

Data doesn’t need to be high-quality for the generative AI to turn it into actionable insights, Siemens notes: With little to configure, it also factors in concise maintenance protocols and notes on previous cases to help increase internal customer knowledge.

Thus by better contextualising the information at hand, the app can derive a prescriptive maintenance strategy.

Siemens reports that the new generative AI functionality in Senseye Predictive Maintenance will be available starting this spring for all Senseye users.

The company said In a statement that the cyberattack impacted division-specific systems, including its Resource Advisor software, which provides energy data monitoring services.

The Resource Advisor platform is used by over 2,000 companies to interpret their energy and sustainability data.

Specifically, Resource Advisor enables customers to centrally manage their ESG, sustainability and energy data, aiming to simplify the process of tracking and interpreting data, reporting and identifying areas of opportunity.

The company stated that its Global Incident Response team was immediately mobilised to respond to the attack, contain the incident and reinforce existing security measures.

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According to cybersecurity news website BleepingComputer, Cactus Ransomware has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Launched in March 2023, Cactus ransomware sees threat actors breach corporate networks through purchased credentials, partnerships with malware distributors, phishing attacks or by exploiting vulnerabilities.

Once network access is gained, explains BleepingComputer, they quietly spread to other systems while stealing corporate data on servers.

The incident comes as cybersecurity in the energy sector is increasingly recognised as a key priority in need of higher levels of safeguards.

Both for third party software and service providers as well as utilities, attacks have been on the increase across the sector.

According to International Energy Agency commentary, cyberattack trends pose “an unprecedented threat to critical infrastructure, such as electricity systems.”

The IEA adds that as utilities increasingly use digital tech to better manage infrastructure, risks abound.

Digital systems, telecommunication equipment and sensors throughout the grid increase utilities’ exposure, as each element provides an additional entry point for cybercriminal organisations.

Data centres, crypto mining and AI are ultimately different sides of the same coin, requiring banks of processors churning away often on a 24/7 basis with their need for energy for operations, cooling and other associated tasks such as communications for the in and out data flows.

In scale, the traditional data centre sector is the largest from the energy perspective, while the crypto sector has garnered the most criticism and publicity driving a rapid shift towards more sustainable – but in some locations still controversial – operations.

But AI remains something of an uncertainty with its accelerating growth. While already widely used but still growing in business applications it is yet to take off at the consumer level – and as it is made more accessible that use is likely to be massive.

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Currently, most consumers are likely to be largely unaware of AI directly, although it contributes to many aspects of daily life.

For many ChatGPT introduced in November 2022 was probably their first ‘hands on’ experience.

Subsequently, over the past few months, Microsoft has been piloting its Copilot, which is built on the ChatGPT technology.

But now AI is entering the mass market with Samsung’s new S24 range of Galaxy mobiles full of AI-powered features.

With mobiles the ‘aways to hand’ device and a selection of what on paper at least appear compelling applications – real-time translation to other languages and wallpaper picture generation to name two – AI is likely to rapidly become part of the daily usage of these devices and others that follow suit, not to mention the possibility of Google’s Bard getting more prominence in the Android OS.

Energy consumption

The IEA’s Electricity 2024 review released last week reports data centres, cryptocurrencies and AI – of which there are more than 8,000 around the world – consuming an estimated 460TWh of electricity globally in 2022, amounting to almost 2% of the global demand.

Of this, the majority, almost three-quarters, was from traditional data centres, with almost all of the rest from cryptocurrencies.

Within three years by 2026 that demand could double and potentially exceed 1,000TWh, the IEA estimates from its modelling.

In particular, AI’s energy demand is projected to grow exponentially to at least ten times its 2023 demand level, which would put it in the range of 70-100TWh.

As an example of how demand could increase the IEA points to search tools such as Google, which could see a tenfold increase of their electricity demand with the full implementation of AI in the process.

The current average electricity demand of a typical Google search is 0.3Wh of electricity compared to ChatGPT’s of 2.9Wh per request, and scaling that up to 9 billion searches daily amounts to an almost 10TWh additional electricity requirement in a year.

Energy challenge

One approach to the energy challenge is greater efficiencies in the data centres themselves.

Currently, the servers and cooling systems are each responsible for about 40% of the demand, with the remaining 20% consumed by the power supply system, storage devices and communication equipment.

More efficient cooling, currently at least, offers the greatest benefits but the move towards hyperscale data centres with upwards of 2,000 racks is achieving energy savings and in the future quantum computers potentially could replace the traditional servers.

Temporary time and location shifting of data centre workloads to regions with lower carbon intensity also is considered to have potential.

Arguably the most significant approach advocated in a conversation with Bloomberg at the World Economic Forum meeting by Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT developer OpenAI, is for a breakthrough with more climate-friendly sources of energy such as nuclear.

“The two important currencies of the future are compute/intelligence and energy and I think we still don’t appreciate the energy needs of this technology,” he said, stating that those energy needs will “force us to invest more in the technologies that can deliver this”.

One nuclear option is SMRs, with their potential for an onsite power supply, but closer to Altman’s heart is fusion, in which he has invested $375 million in the private US company Helion Energy.

Helion Energy, vowing to be first with fusion, already has a power purchase agreement in place to supply Microsoft from a plant deployment in 2028 and is targeting 2030 to start supplying baseload power to a Nucor steelmaking facility.

With fusion under development for well over half a century and AI playing an important role in its ongoing advancement, there would be a nice sense of ‘circularity’ if its energy demands were, even indirectly, to impact in finally delivering that breakthrough.

As a user of AI, particularly generative AI in its emergence as a distinct sub-genre, let us know how you are applying it in your utility.

Jonathan Spencer Jones

Specialist writer
Smart Energy International

Follow me on Linkedin

The global push for cleaner, greener sources of energy is accelerating. According to the International Energy Agency, renewable energy was expected to account for nearly 30% of global electricity generation by this year.

In fact, we are approaching “the beginning of the end of the fossil age”, according to the fourth annual Global Electricity Review written by Malgorzata Wiatros-Motyka and others for the energy think-tank, Ember.

As fossil fuels go out of style and fossil-burning power plants are taken offline, renewable energy sources are now surpassing coal as the largest source of power worldwide, says the IEA. By 2027, the IEA report states, renewable energy sources will grow by 2,400GW. That’s equivalent to the entire power capacity of China today, and an acceleration of 85% over the previous five years. In fact, renewable energy is expected to account for 90% of global electricity expansion in the next four years.

That expansion is attributable to renewable energy policies and market reforms in the US, European Union and China, according to the IEA report.

Renewable energy need

The acceleration of renewable energy sources – solar, hydroelectric, wind, biomass – tracks along with the spike in energy prices brought on by war in eastern Europe, which has disrupted the fossil fuel supply chain. That disruption, which the IEA called “the first truly global energy crisis”, underscored the need for the energy security provided by domestically produced renewable energy sources.

In 2022, 63% of the new utility-scale generating capacity added to the US power grid came from solar (46%) and wind (17%). In fact, renewables are the only sector expected to continue to grow, with declines predicted in coal, natural gas, nuclear and oil.

Offshore wind generation is a newer player in the renewables market and is expected to continue to grow globally. However, the expansion in that area is being stalled by lengthy permitting processes and a lack of improvements to power grid infrastructure.

While the expansion of renewable energy might be slowed by policy disagreements and political considerations, the need to update utility infrastructure to handle renewable energy could be the most critical holdup.

Grid enhancements

Utilities are realising that smaller, less predictable energy sources like wind and solar aren’t just plug-and-play. Their grids must be upgraded and digitised to handle not only new offsite power sources, but disruptive technologies such as electric vehicles that are shifting traditional energy demands.

Plus, with the introduction of new renewable energy sources, just how much load they will deliver isn’t certain. Utilities need to move to a real-time, digital approach to load management in order to keep supply and demand balanced. A digital representation of the network, or digital twin, is essential to understand, predict and plan for production and consumption.

A digitised network will also be more efficient since each component and asset can be tracked and maintained through its entire lifecycle, making it more reliable. Having a digitised grid in place is necessary before utilities can adopt a distributed energy resource management systems (DERMS) approach to dealing with alternative energy sources.

DERMS are the combination of hardware and software that allows management of a power grid that includes renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. DERMS provide real-time communication and control across batteries, solar panels and other devices that may lie behind the meter and outside the grid operator’s direct control. They primarily optimise energy consumption to minimise peak demands, which requires careful planning.

Sustainable future

Renewable energy is not only a transformative opportunity for the utility industry, but also a key driver of global transformation.

By adopting renewable energy sources and the advanced grid management technologies needed to sustain them, utilities can help themselves by enhancing their efficiency, reliability and resilience, while helping the world by reducing the causes of pollution, climate change and dependence on fossil fuels.

About the author:

Maximilian Weber is the senior vice president of EMEA for Hexagon’s Safety & Infrastructure division. He has more than 25 years of experience within Hexagon, serving in various executive roles throughout the years, such as general manager, business unit manager and sales manager.

About Hexagon:

Hexagon helps utilities and communications companies achieve greater service reliability, increase operational efficiency and enhance customer satisfaction. We support hundreds of utilities and communications customers around the world with solutions for network engineering and design, operations and maintenance.

At the heart of the process is the creation and utilisation of time-based energy attribute certificates that can then validate Google’s 2030 goal to achieve 24/7 carbon-free energy use.

The initiative was launched in 2021 through a pilot in Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Flexidao provided automatic access to hourly metering data on electricity consumption and generation from clean electricity contracts via its CFE Inventory data collection and aggregation platform.

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From this data, the time-based energy attribute certificates could be created, following the approach of the EnergyTag standard.

Building on the outcomes of the pilot, Flexidao extended its work with Google across the EMEA region and is now expanding globally to cover North America, Latin America and Asia-Pacific.

As part of this global rollout, Flexidao is streamlining data collection by identifying sources for electricity data from national data hubs, utility systems and grid operators.

Flexidao also reports integrating with Google’s BigQuery data warehouse to further enhance the data collection, and collaborating with Electricity Maps, which monitors and maps carbon emissions in near real time, to incorporate hourly emission factors into the software.

“When we set out to achieve our 24/7 carbon-free energy goal, we knew that it would require a wide range of advanced tools and technologies,” says Savannah Goodman, Data and Software Climate Solutions Lead at Google.

“Flexidao has been a key collaborator on our journey, first piloting a digital solution to enable hourly clean energy validation for our facilities and now bringing this solution to scale. They are helping us accelerate our electricity management and verification process and provide us with an end-to-end solution for 24/7 carbon-fee energy reporting.”

Energy attribute certificate management

For Flexidao one of the most significant benefits reported is the adoption of an energy attribute certificate management and verification process.

The company works with energy attribute certificate registries to streamline the manual task of compiling, retiring and comparing the certificates with meter/invoice data for better oversight and management of such portfolios.

Simone Accornero, CEO of Flexidao, describes the initiative as the “kicking off a journey. This collaboration exemplifies how our tool can save organizations time and resources when monitoring their electricity supply and pursuing impactful energy procurement approaches.”

Google was a Series A investor in Flexidao in 2022.

As a member of the Google Cloud Ready Sustainability ecosystem, Flexidao intends to make its CFE Inventory software available on Google Cloud Marketplace in 2024.

The update finds that world demand for electricity grew by 2.2% in 2023, less than the 2.4% growth of 2022, attributing this to declines in advanced countries due to the lacklustre macroeconomic environment and high inflation.

However, the demand is expected to rise, growing by an average of 3.4% annually through 2026 through an improving economic outlook and particularly in advanced economies the ongoing electrification of the residential and transport sectors.

Significant extra demand also is expected from outside these economies, in particular in China, India and countries in Southeast Asia.

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Notable expansion of the data centre sector also is likely, with consumption from data centres, AI and the cryptocurrency sector potentially doubling by 2026.

In 2023 the share of electricity in final energy consumption is estimated to have reached 20%, up from 18% in 2015.

To meet the IEA’s net zero by 2050 pathway, the share must near 30% in 2030 and thus electrification needs to accelerate rapidly, the Electricity 2024 publication states.

Renewables and nuclear

The report projects that low-emission generation sources, including nuclear and renewables such as solar, wind and hydro, are set to rise at twice the annual growth rate over the past five years.

By 2026 these sources are set to account for almost half the world’s generation, up from 39% in 2023.

In particular, the share of renewables is forecast to rise from 30% in 2023 to 37% in 2026 and more than offset demand growth in advanced economies such as the US and European Union and potentially also in China.

Nuclear power generation also is expected to reach an all-time high, with growth averaging close to 3% per year.

With this global coal-fired generation is expected to fall by an average of 1.7% annually through 2026.

Global CO2 emissions also are expected to decline, averaging 4% between 2023 and 2026, which is more than double the 2% in the period from 2015 to 2019.

“The power sector currently produces more CO2 emissions than any other in the world economy, so it’s encouraging that the rapid growth of renewables and a steady expansion of nuclear power are together on course to match all the increase in global electricity demand over the next three years,” commented IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.

“This is largely thanks to the huge momentum behind renewables, with ever cheaper solar leading the way, and support from the important comeback of nuclear power, whose generation is set to reach a historic high by 2025. While more progress is needed, and fast, these are very promising trends.”

Electricity demand highlights

Some other top points from the report are as follows:

● Africa remains an outlier in electricity demand trends, with per capita demand having been effectively stagnant for more than three decades. A more than doubling in investments is required to deliver the region’s energy development and climate targets.

● Electricity prices were generally lower in 2023 than the record highs in 2022, in tandem with declines in prices for commodities such as natural gas and coal, but price trends varied widely among regions, affecting their economic competitiveness.

● Growing weather impacts on power systems highlight the importance of investing in electricity security. For example, global hydropower generation declined in 2023 due to impacts such as droughts, below average rainfall and early snowmelts in numerous regions. Diversifying energy sources, building regional power interconnections and implementing strategies for resilient generation in the face of changing weather patterns will be increasingly important.

● Rising self-consumption in distributed systems and data collection is giving rise to demand forecasting and planning and data sharing challenges. Complete data sets on distributed generation and consumption can give valuable insights into the potential for local flexibility solutions and improved data exchange between DSOs and TSOs can contribute to a more comprehensive accounting of self-consumption.

● Global smart meter investments doubled in 2022 compared to 2015, with the number of smart meters exceeding 1 billion worldwide. However, smart meter penetration varies significantly among countries and regions, from around 80% of US households to 10% in Latin America. Smart meters not only enable better and more detailed data collection but can also enable considerable cost savings.

The concept of capturing solar energy in space and beaming it down to the Earth had its origins with the well-known science fiction writer Isaac Asimov in an early short story from his student days during the Second World War.

While it attracted limited attention in the following years, since the turn of the century with the increasing move to renewables, interest has grown and subsequently accelerated, with several initiatives emerging, including in the US, UK, Europe, Japan and China.

The fast-falling costs of satellite launches with their proliferation has given impetus to the proposal. However, while conceptually it is straightforward, technologically it is still very complex – to place solar panels several square kilometres in extent in space and then to deliver the energy via conversion to microwaves and reconversion on the ground with sufficient efficiency.

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Nevertheless, several studies, most recently one from NASA, have indicated that cost parity with ground-based renewables should be possible by 2050, if not before.

With this space-based solar can become a viable addition to the renewables mix, with one of its prime benefits its ability to deliver solar energy on a virtually 24/7 basis – something that earth-based photovoltaics are unable to match, currently at least although not to be ruled out in the future.

For example, the CASSIOPeiA design proposed in the UK with two 1.7km diameter solar collectors is calculated to be able to deliver 2GW to the grid via a 5km diameter rectenna ground station.

Caltech’s space solar power demonstrator

Key to the development of space-based solar is the ability to test the technologies in space where they can be subject to the effects of space weather such as the solar wind.

Last October researchers from the Universities of Surrey and Swansea reported demonstrating the potential of a new solar cell technology based on thin-film cadmium telluride deposited directly onto ultra-thin space qualified cover glass material.

After six years in space, the cells were observed to show no signs of delamination and no deterioration in short circuit current or series resistance but the power output had decreased, which is attributed to an aspect of the cell design and is to be altered for the next generation.

Arguably the most advanced initiative is that at Caltech in the US, which was launched over a decade ago and is seeing investment of over $100 million on a largely philanthropic basis.

Read more Tech Talk

One year ago the first space solar power demonstrator was launched into space and while it ceased communication in November, one year on all three of the technologies carried, all fundamental for the delivery of space-based solar, have now been confirmed to have been successful.

These have shown that a flexible mesh material can be carried into space and deployed, that low-cost manufactured solar cells show potential for space use – particularly those with high-performance compound semiconductor materials such as gallium arsenide – and that energy beamed from space can be detected on the Earth.

Reflectors in space

Another option being considered is one that was proposed back in the early 1980s for nighttime illumination of cities – having giant reflectors in space that reflect the sunlight down to Earth, in particular at dawn and dusk when demand is peaking and the output from solar farms is weakening.

In a 5-year project that was started in late 2020 at the University of Glasgow, a reference architecture has been published recently for ‘Solspace’ as a constellation of five hexagonal-shaped reflectors with a combined area of about 1,000m2 – their size dictated by the available other technologies required for example, for attitude control.

With constant solar facing, these are estimated to deliver approximately 280MWh of solar energy daily to large solar farms, around 10km in extent to match the size of the solar beam at the proposed altitude of almost 1,000km, across the Earth.

With an operational lifetime of 20 years, the cost of the electricity is estimated at $70/MWh.

Further results are yet to come from the project, which also was proposed to look at issues such as the use of 3D printing methods for the reflectors, which are proposed to be made from aluminised Kapton and gossamer thin.

These findings and those from the other initiatives are early stage and much work still needs to be done to evolve the technologies and to implement a commercial-scale operation.

But in one form or another, it will happen, and perhaps as early as 2035 if the UK’s Space Solar venture meets its timeline.

Moreover, almost two-thirds believe that green skills shortages could become a bottleneck and slow down the transition.

But only just over half of them are implementing or planning to implement such programmes for their workforce.

“Without skilled workers, the transition will not be delivered, and the benefits will not be realised,” says Ignacio Galán, Executive Chairman of Iberdrola.

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“As the world emerges from COP with a clear focus on phasing out fossil fuels, as well as tripling renewables in six years, every company in every sector is fully aware that change is coming fast.”

He adds that those who plan well “will lead and be at the forefront of the transition”, referencing activities by Iberdrola including helping aeronautics companies to take the lead in wind power, shipbuilders to diversify into offshore wind fabrication and oil and gas workers to switch to offshore renewables.

The survey involved 1,000 business leaders globally from the energy and utilities sector as well as the IT and technology, construction and infrastructure and transport and logistics sectors.

The data indicates that participants were overwhelmingly optimistic about the green transition and felt that it would create more and higher quality jobs than it would eliminate.

It also will require all workers to acquire green skills, both non-vocational, non-technical and of a more technical, role specific nature.

Among those in the former category the top three were identified as environmental awareness, innovation and creativity and problem solving, while the latter includes sustainability and disclosure reporting, environmental impact assessment and sustainability compliance.

In the energy sector, over one-third identified smart grid implementation as one of the most important green skills to enabling their organisation’s green transition.

Leading the transition

The survey found that two-thirds of the business leaders feel responsibility for leading the green transition lies with them over policymakers.

However, bridging emerging skills gaps will require coordination between the private sector and government and educational institutions.

The top three government policy priorities identified are support for businesses’ investment in up-skilling and re-skilling programmes, support for the establishment of green skills courses at educational institutions and adapting existing work and training programmes for the unemployed to increase the emphasis on green skills.

In addition, it is suggested that in the longer term governments will need to create an enabling environment that incentivises the greening of the economy more broadly with e.g. stricter standards, putting a price on emissions and removing subsidies for polluting industries, such as fossil fuels.

In order to have enough hands to enable the green transition, companies in the electricity industry need to attract talent with the right skills – and retain it.

Danish climate tech firm Oktogrid, with its transformative solution providing data access to transformer health, stands at the forefront of this movement.

At Enlit Europe 2023, Golam Sadeghnia, CEO at Oktogrid, together with other industry leaders like Marianne Karu, Catherina Bobo, Marco Nunes, and Frank Gielen, took part in a panel discussion that touched upon how the energy industry can attract and retain the needed skill sets.

The panel shared key insights and practical advice on how the industry can address its workforce challenge. Some of these learnings contain the following:

Attracting mobile talent

The challenge lies in enticing highly mobile talent to join and commit to roles demanding innovative thinking for the evolving energy landscape.

To address this, the industry can benefit from establishing long-term collaborations between young knowledge-intensive companies and experienced corporations. Such strategic partnerships facilitate the introduction of new skill sets into the workforce, ensuring a dynamic blend of expertise and fresh perspectives.

Building industry awareness

Working in the field of electricity infrastructure is often ‘invisible’ as a professional choice. To combat this, industry players must motivate young professionals through early engagement initiatives like internships, mentorships, digital platforms and games.

By making the field more visible, engaging and attractive, the industry can inspire the next generation to embrace sustainable energy careers.

Lifelong learning initiatives

The dynamic nature of the electricity industry requires constant adaptation. To bridge the skills gap, leaders must establish a structured framework for reskilling, upskilling and transitioning the workforce.

Providing incentives, dedicated time and support for training programmes ensures that employees can integrate new methods and skills seamlessly into their daily activities.

Work-life balance as a differentiator

There is a new generation that is highly skilled in IT and motivated to pursue a career with purpose rather than making people click ads online.

To stand out as an attractive workplace, companies must offer flexibility and a good work-life balance. Prioritising a supportive work environment is essential to appeal to a workforce motivated to make a difference in the green transition.

Golam Sadeghnia, CEO at Oktogrid, emphasises: “The energy transition is not just about technology. At Oktogrid, we believe in fostering an environment that values both innovation and the well-being of our colleagues.

“Our solution is not just transforming the industry by technology; by introducing new digital toolsets, it is also contributing to inviting a new, attractive workforce that is inspired and committed to a sustainable future.”

As the electricity industry embarks on a journey towards sustainability, talent becomes the driving force behind transformative change. Collaborative efforts, early engagement, life-long learning, and flexibility will be key differentiators in attracting the right talent.

By following these principles, the industry will not only attract the talent and skill sets needed but also cultivate a workforce prepared to navigate the challenges and opportunities of a digitised and sustainable energy future.

The ‘Future of Utilities’, which was published by the Abu Dhabi utility (Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, TAQA) and Bloomberg Media to coincide with the World Economic Forum meeting, found that confidence in achieving 2030 targets is low in the utilities sector based on the current trajectory and there needs to be immense transformation.

Poor partnerships with technology providers and low awareness of the latest technology alternatives are the largest impediments to innovation.

And the top threat is the complexity of integrating renewables, with others including the vulnerability of supply chains and lack of access to capital.

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“The utilities sector is on the frontlines of the global energy system, and it is therefore uniquely placed to shape the transition to a low carbon future,” says Jasim Husain Thabet, Group CEO and Managing Director of TAQA, one of the largest listed integrated utilities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, commenting on the findings.

“As the utilities community responds to that challenge with increased urgency, the insights from this report can serve as a lens to guide decision making and validate perspectives.”

The study was based on a survey of almost 600 experts from across the energy sector worldwide, with the majority, 80%, agreeing that utilities are actively pursuing a future geared towards net zero.

However, with less than half confident that 2030 targets would be met with the status quo, almost all felt that a profound change is not only required but also imminent.

With calls for decentralised energy systems accelerating, consumer empowerment is considered vital for the success of utilities in 2030, with evolutions in operating models and customer relations as consumers increasingly adopt self-generation.

The study found that regulation is largely seen as an enabler of net zero, with facilitating renewable integration seen as the top benefit, and only 5% reported that their regulatory environment is a hindrance.

The complexity of integrating renewables as a top threat to achieving net zero goals was cited by half of the respondents, although there are variations both by region and role.

For example, investors considered regulatory challenges while policy advisers cited threats to digital security and cyberattacks.

Nevertheless, this indicates the need for a stronger focus on innovation with more effective collaboration and communication.

To put this into context BloombergNEF in its New Energy Outlook 2022 projected a $21 trillion investment by 2050 to expand and refurbish the global electricity system.

Additionally, its Energy Transition Investment Trends 2023 expects electrified transport, renewable energy and grids to dominate investments to 2030, comprising almost three-quarters of the annual combined share – a trend set to escalate in the 2030s with an estimated annual investment of $6.88 trillion and a further increase to $7.87 trillion by the 2040s.

This increasingly changing power grid paradigm poses great challenges for the growth of power grid infrastructure and brings forward the need for innovative solutions.

Traditional grid expansion approaches, such as infrastructure reinforcement, are no longer optimal due to the disparity between forecasts and reality.

This article explores the limitations of current strategies and proposes a solution based on grid digitalisation — Federated Distributed Energy Resources Management System (Federated-DERMS), which offers a decentralised approach to grid management, optimising operations and overcoming the hurdles posed by the evolving energy landscape.

Power grid infrastructure growth challenges

Traditional approaches, mainly focused on infrastructure reinforcement or equipment replacement, struggle to keep pace with the dynamic changes in the energy landscape.

The integration of distributed energy resources (DER), which doubled between 2004 and 2021 and will continue to grow in the upcoming years due to governmental policies and objectives, such as the European Union’s (EU) active net zero carbon emissions by 2050, coupled with the rapid adoption of electric vehicles and the shift from consumer to prosumer, has led to a significant disparity between the current estimation methods and the evolving reality.

To bridge this gap, a paradigm shift toward grid digitalisation may be a suitable path to follow.

Traditional grid reinforcement-based approach, driven by decisions based on load simultaneity factors and worst-case future scenarios, may no longer be efficient for grid reinforcement planning, as new uncertain variables such as knowing where and when DERs are going to be installed.

In addition, the evolution from consumers to prosumers, elastic to electricity prices and capable of injecting power into the grid, further complicates the equation.

Instead of trying to invest in grid reinforcements under this high uncertain scenario, the solution lies in non-wire alternatives (NWA) such as grid digitalisation, entailing investments in edge computing (IoT) and innovative software architectures.

This dual investment is the fittest for optimal exploitation of information generated by edge devices, providing a pathway to a more adaptive and efficient grid.

Operational challenges for DSOs

Following the current trends in the network paradigm shift, DSOs will need to be able to operate a greater number of devices.

On the one hand, this is positive, as they will have more tools to optimise network exploitation. On the other hand, it will mean there is a greater number of variables to optimise.

This implies that to solve optimisation problems in the same way as it is currently done (centralised control), the operator will require greater computational power.

Moreover, with the increase in uncertainties associated with both generation and demand, primarily due to renewable generation, electric vehicle charging schedule, and consumers’ behaviour with their variable loads, network operation has become more complex.

Following a grid digitalisation approach, the deployment of smart meters and IoT edge devices will cause a considerable increase in the volume of data for DSOs to manage.

This implies that centralised management architectures, where all data flows from devices to the central hub, will require greater robustness and computational power capable of handling both the data volume and the variables to be optimised in acceptable timeframes for operation while ensuring system’s quality of service.

Maintaining this type of network control architecture over time can become inefficient, as the investment in computational power may reach considerable figures. To address this challenge, one of the possible courses of action is proposed in the next section.

Federated-DERMS as a solution

In response to the pressing challenges faced by power grids, a transformative solution emerges — the Federated Distributed Energy Resources Management System.

This innovative software architecture is defined by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) as FAST-DERMS and offers a decentralised approach to grid management.

As Figure 1 portrays, a Federated-DERMS strategically divides the grid into areas controlled by individual DERMS systems (the Flexibility Resource Scheduler in Figure 1), each equipped with personalised microservices tailored for optimal grid operation of their control region.

Federated-DERMS operates with a central coordinator communicating seamlessly with all DERMS systems across the grid.

Each local DERMS, armed with personalised microservices, undertakes specific tasks to optimise its control area. These tasks may include precise load forecasting, economic dispatch of DERs in the local market and hosting capacity calculations in order to accomplish forecasting, planning and operation tasks efficiently and effectively.

Importantly, all local DERMS systems collaborate, sharing data and insights with each other and the central coordinator to achieve close-to-optimal grid operation.

Therefore, applying this architecture brings improvements both at a general and local level.

On a general scale, it achieves a reduction in the number of signals directly exchanged with the central coordinator, as the managers of each zone will send condensed information received. This implies that the computational power required to manage the entire volume of data will be reduced due to the distribution of data handling among zone operators.

On the other hand, at the local level, the deployed microservices can be specifically configured to address operation, control, or planning issues in the controlled area with greater precision, thereby enhancing overall network management.

Conclusion: Embracing innovation for a resilient future.

About the authors

Daniel Palomo, Business Development Manager Grid Control, Minsait, is responsible for grid control products as well as the launch to the market of new control and real time products. In addition, he has worked for strategic projects deploying IoT edge technologies, SCADA in the cloud, DER flexibility and FLISR implementation.

Juan Menendez-Pidal, Real Time Control System Expert, Minsait, is an expert in implementation of management, operation and optimisation solutions for electrical distribution networks for DSOs and research centres. He also is actively working on R&D projects for the development of new products that promote the energy transition.

About Minsait

Minsait, an Indra company (www.minsait.com), is a leading firm in digital transformation and information technologies in Spain and Latin America. Minsait possesses a high degree of specialisation and knowledge of the sector to focus its offering on high-impact value propositions, based on end-to-end solutions. Its capabilities and leadership are demonstrated in its product range, under the brand Onesait, and its across-the-board range of services.

About Indra

Indra (www.indracompany.com) is one of the leading global technology and consulting companies and the technological partner for core business operations of its customers worldwide. Its business model is based on a comprehensive range of proprietary products, with a high-value, end-to-end focus and with a high innovation component. In the 2022 financial year, Indra achieved revenue totaling €3,851 billion with almost 57,000 employees with a local presence in 46 countries and business operations in over 140 countries.

This is according to the latest report from ResearchAndMarkets.com, which shows private 5G/4G cellular networks – also referred to as NPNs (Non-Public Networks) in 3GPP terminology – are rapidly gaining popularity across a diverse range of vertical industries.

The utilities sector is no exception to this trend and the report forecasts global spending on dedicated cellular networks to grow at a CAGR of 15% over the next three years.

The utility networks range from wide area 3GPP networks – operating in 410 MHz, 450 MHz, 900 MHz and other sub-1 GHz spectrum bands – for smart grid communications, to purpose-built 5G and LTE networks aimed at providing localised wireless connectivity in critical infrastructure facilities such as power plants, substations and offshore wind farms.

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The report lists notable examples of adoption:

American utility companies have made substantial investments in acquiring 900 MHz and 3.5 GHz CBRS PAL (Priority Access License) spectrum within their service territories. Ameren, Evergy, Hawaiian Electric, LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority), SCE (Southern California Edison), SDG&E (San Diego Gas & Electric), Southern Company and Xcel Energy are among the growing number of utilities that are implementing 3GPP-based private wireless networks in support of grid modernisation programs.

450connect is rolling out a nationwide 450 MHz LTE network for the digitisation of energy and water utilities as well as other critical industries in Germany.

Using its 410 MHz spectrum holdings, ESB Networks is implementing a national private mobile network to meet the wireless connectivity needs of smart grid applications for the control, protection and management of Ireland’s utility assets.

French multinational electric utility group EDF is deploying private mobile networks to bring secure cellular connectivity to its nuclear power plants.

Enel’s global private communications platform leverages a multi-national secure MVNO service for connectivity across the Italian energy giant’s global footprint and end-to-end private LTE/5G networks to provide localised wireless coverage for reliable communications in business-critical areas.

Following the conclusion of pilots, pre-implementation testing and procurement contracts, PGE (Polish Energy Group) is implementing a 450 MHz mission-critical LTE network for the wide area operations of electricity and gas DSOs (Distribution System Operators) across Poland.

Bahrain’s EWA (Electricity and Water Authority) has deployed a 410 MHz private LTE network as part of an effort to modernise, digitise and automate its distribution infrastructure for improved grid efficiency, performance and security.

CSG (China Southern Power Grid) relies on both LTE-based private cellular systems and end-to-end 5G network slicing over commercial mobile operator networks to fulfill the wireless communications needs of its smart electric power grid.

SGCC (State Grid Corporation of China) has deployed a private 5G NR-U (NR in Unlicensed Spectrum) network – operating in license-exempt Band n46 (5.8 GHz) spectrum – to support video surveillance, mobile inspection robots and other 5G-connected applications at its Lanzhou East and Mogao substations in China’s Gansu province.

KEPCO (Korea Electric Power Corporation) has implemented private 5G network infrastructure – operating in 4.7 GHz and 28 GHz spectrum – at two of its substation sites to enhance real-time monitoring and control capabilities through digital twin technology, 5G-connected wearable cameras and autonomous robots.

Kansai Electric Power is using a local 5G network and 5G-connected drones at the Eurus Akita Port wind farm in Akita (Tohoku), Japan, to enhance the maintenance and inspection of wind turbine blades.

Edesur Dominicana relies on a custom-built 2.3 GHz LTE network to connect critical grid assets that require high availability close to 100%.

CPFL Energia has set up a 250 MHz private LTE network in Sao Leopoldo (Rio Grande do Sul), Brazil, to facilitate the automation of devices in distribution and transmission networks.

“This comes from the IEA’s net zero emissions roadmap as a key milestone for early action, not only because of the direct emissions abatement but also because of energy efficiency as an enabler of other activities such as reducing energy demand growth,” said Brian Motherway, Head of Energy Efficiency and Inclusive Transitions at the IEA, opening a webinar on the topic.

Commenting on the recognition of energy efficiency in discussions at COP28, he said the IEA was delighted with this outcome.

“We know the policies that are required and the technologies that are essential and now it’s an action agenda.”

Doubling global progress

Expanding on the goal of doubling energy efficiency, Jack Miller, an energy policy analyst at the IEA, explained that the measurement of energy efficiency is via the metric of global primary energy intensity, i.e. the ratio of energy use to global GDP.

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With the general downward trend, changes are defined as the year on year percentage decrease, which in 2022 was 2%, i.e. that each unit of energy used produced 2% more GDP than in 2021.

“This sets the baseline of the doubling goal and so by the end of the decade we need to reach just over 4% per year,” he stated.

With that energy efficiency would deliver almost half of the emissions savings needed by 2030, up to one-third in savings on energy bills in many countries and 4.5 million more jobs for people to design, manufacture and install the needed technologies.

And he adds that while it is a necessary goal, it also is feasible, the IEA believes, based on tracking of countries’ progress over the past 10 years, with most having reached the 4% threshold at least once and half at least three times – and 40 countries achieving it in 2022 or 2023.

“The challenge is now to achieve that consistently for the rest of this decade … so it’s clear that every government must take strong and immediate action to accelerate energy efficiency to reach the doubling goal.”

Miller stated that there are three key actions, as set out in the IEA’s NZE scenario, that will contribute to the doubling goal, and in roughly equal proportions.

These are switching to more efficient fuels, including electrification and clean cooking, improving the technical efficiency of products and buildings and avoiding demand through behaviour change.

“The technologies [lighting, HVAC, vehicles, etc.] exist and the policy foundations are in place so it is about going further and becoming more ambitious.”

Policy support

For its part the IEA has produced an energy efficiency ‘policy toolkit’ with a set of strategic principles and policy packages to support governments.

The organisation also can provide support for ‘cross cutting’ issues such as demand response, flexibility and behavioural insight, which are integral to the complementary target increase of a tripling of the global renewable energy capacity by 2030.

Miller also noted that the next major discussion around energy efficiency at governmental level can be expected at the IEA’s next global conference on the topic in Nairobi, Kenya in May 2024.

This is according to a statement released by Nigel Green, CEO of global financial advisory, asset management and fintech firm, deVere.

Green commented in the statement: “The threat of climate change looms large, impacting ecosystems, economies, and communities worldwide.

“To confront this multifaceted crisis effectively, substantial resources are required. While public funds play a crucial role, their limitations necessitate the mobilisation of private finance on an unprecedented scale.

“The trillions of dollars required to transition to a sustainable future can only be sourced from the vast financial sector, making it imperative for Davos 2024 leaders to rally for the urgent unlocking and mobilisation of private finance.

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“The ambition to limit global warming and mitigate human-created climate change effects demands a scaling up of climate action.

“Leaders at Davos have a unique opportunity to advocate for trillions of dollars to be driven into sustainable investments, which will help drive innovation, and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.”

By encouraging private finance to be directed into sustainable investments, leaders can align financial interests with climate goals. Investments in renewable energy, clean technology, and climate-resilient infrastructure not only contribute to a sustainable future but also present viable opportunities for financial returns.

“Leaders should be highlighting the compatibility of financial prosperity with environmental stewardship, creating a win-win scenario for investors and the planet,” notes Nigel Green.

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It’s not just finance from individuals, of course. Corporations play a pivotal role in driving climate action, and leaders at Davos can advocate for enhanced Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices.

“By moving their funds into sustainable investments, companies will also be able to demonstrate their commitment to environmental stewardship. This not only enhances their reputation but also encourages a culture of responsible business that aligns with the expectations of increasingly environmentally conscious consumers and investors.”

He continues: “Unlocking money for sustainable investments goes beyond addressing climate change; it is about building climate-resilient economies.

“Leaders in Davos this week must underscore the economic benefits of investing in clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and resilient infrastructure. Such investments not only contribute to climate mitigation but also create jobs, stimulate innovation, and fortify economies against the impacts of a changing climate.”

Nigel Green concludes: “Those in Davos must seize this opportunity to drive impactful, united resolutions on one of the defining issues of our time. And these resolutions can only be delivered with private money.”

Connected home appliances are proliferating as interests in smart homes grow with consumers becoming more energy conscious and manufacturers bringing ever more advanced models and control systems to the market.

As a barometer of this trend, no less than 13,000 industry attendees at the 2024 CES (Consumer Electronics Show) have listed smart home and appliances as one of their business interests and almost two-thirds of the attendees from the smart home industry are senior level executives.

And as a favoured opportunity for new product launches, as an example Samsung, long at the forefront of the trend, is expanding its SmartThings Energy home energy management platform with a service integration with Tesla as well as harnessing latest generation AI in new products including the next generation family hub smart refrigerator and robotic vacuums.

Home appliances

For flexibility and energy management in the home a range of appliances can potentially be involved, ranging from smart lighting and white goods to heating and cooling technologies such as HVAC and space and water heating and increasingly with their growing uptake rooftop PV, battery storage and electric vehicles.

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Coupled with these is the need for control systems such as sensors and smart plugs and thermostats, along with a management platform with algorithms either locally or in the cloud.

Clearly the success of such delivery is related to both the capabilities of the home appliances as well as the ability to approach and exploit these capabilities, with a common form of control across a broader range of appliances allowing wider deployment of energy management systems and increasing the available flexibility – in short, that there is interoperability among appliances and systems.

Interoperability status

What then is the status of achieving interoperability of home appliances?

To investigate this the European Bridge project surveyed 18 projects (the number that responded) on the use of the appliances and their energy related features. Of these HVAC was the most common appliance type (in 11 projects), followed by white goods, PV inverter, energy storage and EV charger, and all but one of the projects involved two or more appliance categories.

Moreover almost all the appliances were from many manufacturers and the majority of them, over three-quarters, are available in the market.

When it comes directly to addressing interoperability, there are many different approaches followed by the projects, although most tend to create a form of interoperability layer, the Bridge survey found.

This is for instance realised by using as many as possible available standards, using data concentrators, creating custom gateways, using drivers/(interoperability) adapters, or relying on an existing solution – approaches that focus on the interaction down to the appliances.

There are also other approaches for achieving this layer that seem rather to focus on the energy management and the interfaces offered. These include proposing a canonical information model, implementing a semantic interoperability framework and developing a common information model (CIM).

Other approaches again seem to follow a more monolithic approach, where the control algorithms are simply adapted to the protocols offered by the appliances.

On the question regarding the specific framework used by the project to achieve the interoperability goals, the answers tended to mention projects’ own solutions. Some of these were developed over some project generations, while also there were some commercial and open-source solutions.

Another notable finding was that the most common aggregation was at the local level, followed by the cloud then the building and the neighbourhood. Some projects also combined some or all of the levels.

Project scopes and next steps

Overall, the survey found that the projects are on different stages of addressing the issue of home appliance interoperability, mainly as a result of different project scopes and different stages of progress.

Not all of the projects are focussed mainly on interoperability, however, but for those that are it is crucial to investigate their outcomes and make them available, so that the interoperability clients can benefit, the BRIDGE report states.

It is also important to identify and approach the stakeholder groups relevant for the interoperability of home appliances, such as manufacturers and energy managers. The requirements of and for these groups should be named and evaluated.

Specific actions the BRIDGE initiative plan for the coming years are:
● Identification of relevant outcomes/products from the projects, creating a library/repository with the products generated by the projects related to home appliance interoperability, including descriptions for comparison, potential reuse by others, etc.
● Identification and monitoring/supporting activities towards harmonisation/standardisation in this area
● Identification and monitoring of relevant standards and solutions, including creating a list and description of standards related to home appliance interoperability, together with their characteristics
● Creating a multi-class smart appliance database with list of energy related features and interfaces.

Energy policy around the world has recently had to adapt to a massive geopolitical shift, with many countries taking steps to shore up their energy security and ensure their infrastructure and systems are built for resiliency.

And, it looks likely that things will remain uncertain, with no real end in sight. Those of us who were sentient during the 1970s may ponder the likely success of governments “picking winners” or indeed any “top down centrist” planning.

While we are all entitled to a personal opinion on these issues, in the highly regulate energy sector we tend to primarily focus on delivering against a plan that will enable us to support regulatory change……right?

Well, not quite, because anyone who has even briefly scanned the news over the last few months will have noted the shift in the political mood music around energy policy across the world. While this may be temporary, it could well be permanent, and such uncertainty demands that, more than ever, business flexibility is a key determining factor to future success.

The good news is that the technology is already available to respond to this need for flexibility and the changing demands of energy markets. However, there are a number of challenges to successful deployment.

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Some customers will embrace taking more control of their energy usage (but some won’t, or can’t)

It is certainly true that the roll out of smart meters provides energy suppliers, and their more engaged consumers, with greatly increased information about energy consumption. This data has been successfully used to develop unique energy tariffs, allowing smart devices to run or charge during off-peak hours or notify customers of peak demand as an opportunity to reduce consumption – saving money while reducing demand on the power grid.

In fact, according to Energy Systems Catapult, energy retailers will play a crucial role in helping people make low-carbon choices over the next three decades. By embracing the more complex energy market and ensuring the right digital platforms are in place early on, businesses have a unique opportunity to enhance the customer experience and build trust. From there, energy retailers can continue to grow their offerings, for example by providing new tariffs for changing energy demands, as well as holistic products and low-carbon services that nurture loyal and knowledgeable customers.

So far, so good, but what about those who are less engaged with this process; who do not have a battery electric vehicle (and are not planning to buy one), who cannot afford to replace their gas boiler with a heat pump…. or simply just do not want to? They must be supported too, and if they can’t adopt the technology that is being pushed as the green alternative to their existing car or heating, either through affordability or feasibility, what does that mean for energy supply and energy suppliers going forward?

Accessing data to adapt energy consumption

Digital transformation offers insight not just on an individual level but across communities as well. With increased urbanisation, there is an emphasis on energy consumption in growing cities. Cities consume about two-thirds of the world’s current energy, significantly contributing to the global carbon footprint. Smart cities are one response to this problem. By leveraging energy data, it’s possible to ensure the sustainable management of energy for communities on a small or large scale.

Another possible solution to improve energy management within these neighbourhoods is to use decentralised energy from waste plants or district heating networks, rather than relying completely on a centralised system.

However, as advanced countries seek to move away from “dispatchable” fossil fuel generation and become more reliant on “intermittent” renewable energy, managing demand will be vital to ensure energy stability. Digital insights from a data-driven platform can help identify trends in usage to support the deployment of the appropriate mix of generation assets and energy resources more efficiently to meet demand.

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Personalised energy tariffs

The increasing transparency around energy usage, along with better energy demand management techniques, has opened up an opportunity for retailers to implement solutions to respond to their customers’ demand for energy. The growth of renewables and advances in storage technology have allowed retailers to offer more than just standard energy tariffs. For example, more energy retailers are offering products and services that combine power saving, on-site production and storage to their commercial, industrial and residential customers.

Opportunity varies by market sector: for example, B2B businesses may be looking for efficient consumption balanced with on-site generation management, while some B2C consumers may focus on the energy requirements of smart homes and solutions for electric vehicles. Others may merely seek the best price per kWh for their consumption profile.

As a result, energy retailers will need to support those who choose to adopt the latest innovations whilst also ensuring that the bulk of consumers are catered for and at the same time keeping one eye on what else may be driving change as both the political environment and technology evolves.

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Towards a tech-driven and flexible future

Tomorrow’s energy system will likely reflect a diverse, whole-systems approach, with generation and storage assets deployed both centrally and locally.

It will give more control to enable customers to scale up their energy portfolio to include today’s essentials – heat and power – as well as tomorrow’s needs, from electric mobility to on-site generation and varied storage solutions.

All this needs to be centred around future-proof flexible technology solutions – that support easy adaptation of the system to meet future requirements and changes through configuration, rather than new development – that can adapt and support Europe’s energy retailers however that future evolves.

About the author

Jon Slade is the co-founder and CEO of ENSEK and has over 20 years of experience working in the tech sector.

He formed ENSEK following a decade of major transformation delivery across large enterprises in utilities and financial services, with formative years spent at Oracle. Jon is passionate about the energy transition and the sector working together to achieve net zero goals.

Over the course of 2023 – and indeed since its start in mid-2022 – this column has not been short of possible new and future technology content to feature. But for this one I have decided to take a forward look to 2024 – and would invite your feedback on its focus and style for the year ahead.

The energy sector in 2023 has been dominated by many advances, such as the drive for decentralisation, the increasing use of Web3 and AI technologies and the focus on the grid as the foundation or ‘backbone’ of the renewables-driven grid of the future and we expect these to continue into 2024.

Decentralisation

Decentralisation of the energy system is a given for the future as consumers are able to instal own generation such as rooftop PV or storage, either fixed or in an electric vehicle – and in turn deliver excess to the grid or trade with peers or form part of a local energy community.

Rising energy prices and the threat of disruptions has been a driver for much of the latest uptake of distributed energy resources – National grid in the UK, for example, has reported more than 40,000 new connections since April 2023 – but coming with this is the increasing need for flexibility.

In the UK again, Octopus reported that one million customers had signed up for a demand flexibility scheme for the current 2023/24 winter season.

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Clearly for participation such schemes must be straightforward from both the consumers’ and suppliers’ perspectives.

The rewards also must be adequate and again quoting Octopus the top 5% of participants in the previous year’s scheme achieved average savings over £40, while the average over all the participating customers was about £7.50.

Delivery of such schemes requires platforms that can automate the process as much as possible, with various technologies possible.

Blockchain, Web3 and AI

One of these is blockchain, which a couple of years ago was being hyped as a technology but since then that has died down as it has matured and its promoters have stood the test of time.

Key issues have been around scalability, interoperability and energy efficiency.

Which use cases that can most benefit from blockchain are still open to debate but one area that is attracting growing interest is renewables tracking and certification and by extension the tracking and certification of other commodities such as e-fuels and CO2 emissions.

Another driver for increasing demand for tracking is ‘circularity’, in this case of ‘hard’ products such as batteries and their components and which is being enabled with the emergence of other Web3 technologies such as self-sovereign identities and digital passports.

With the first battery passports set to appear in Europe – although not obligatory until February 2027 – more products are likely to be caught up in the digital passport net, particularly those containing valuable raw materials as regions such as Europe aim to become as self sufficient as possible on those materials that are critical for their economy.

Another technology that is now widespread is AI, particularly in data related applications and platforms. But much of the future focus is likely to be on generative AI as utilities and companies look to harness it for both customer and internally related applications.

So far only a few sector players have publicly announced their foray into generative AI – most recently E.ON – but these and other early movers are likely to be those to gain the most advantages over competitors.

The future grid

Few would claim to know what the 2050 grid will look like but there are many scenarios from organisations such as the IEA and IRENA and regional bodies such as the EU with its newly released grid action plan as to how to get there.

These include the need for significant and urgent investments, in Europe for example an estimated €584 billion ($641 billion) by 2030.

At the heart of the future grid is smart metering, particularly the second generation meters that provide grid-related data in addition to the regular consumption data.

In the US, installations are ongoing at a rate of about 8 million units per year, while in Europe there has been an acceleration as countries seek to catch up. However, as past rollouts that all too easily have slowed have shown, to maintain the momentum there is a “need for speed”, as Esmig’s managing director Tomás Llobet has put it.

The grids require not only extending but also upgrading for modernisation and reinforcement. But equally important looking ahead is getting the most out of the current and future infrastructure, with flexibility and so-called ‘grid enhancing technologies’ such as dynamic line rating and flexible alternating current transmission system (FACTS).

The space race

Space is increasingly being seen as the next frontier for the energy sector, with space-based data being utilised for utility applications such as renewables siting and vegetation management as well as for other climate related issues such as carbon and methane monitoring and disaster management.

Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) has gone a step further, developing and launching its own satellites and has the vision to offer satellite data ‘as a service’ to other utilities.

But perhaps the most significant interest in space from the energy perspective is the potential for space-based solar power.

Caltech’s Space Solar Power Project is the most advanced to date and has delivered three positive demonstrations amid ongoing investigations – that energy can be transmitted from space to Earth, that low cost solar cells show potential for use in space and that it should be possible to deploy the large flexible membranes that will be required for what will be kilometre-scale satellites in space.

While the prospect of commercial space-based solar is likely to be a decade off at least with the considerable technical developments still required, several countries are vying for leadership in the technology.