Finding new relevance...

…with a focus on innovation and data

Due to the energy transition, energy suppliers must find a new revenue model. Although electricity consumption will increase, customers will purchase less. The reason: they will generate more and more electricity themselves. The production of gas will come to a complete stop in the future. The Netherlands is “going gas-free”.
However, this development can also be seen as an opportunity. Energy always used to be a low-interest product. A sustainable energy supply system elicits much more involvement from consumers and businesses. Energy suppliers are therefore increasingly positioning themselves as “advisors”. They want to help customers switch to a sustainable energy supply by offering innovative products and services and making smart use of data.

Place in the energy chain

Some energy suppliers still have power plants. These plants – which use fossil fuels – will increasingly be replaced by sustainable energy sources like wind and solar. The Energy and Climate Agreements (from 2013 and 2019) gave a major boost to the growth of sustainable energy. Innovation and financial support (in the form of subsidies) should ensure that 70% of all electricity comes from renewable sources by 2030.

...Prosumers are taking their place

The consequences of this trend can already be seen. Wind turbines on land and especially offshore, solar parks and rooftop solar panels are increasingly dominating the scene. They will generate the lion’s share of the electricity we need. Consumers with solar panels also become suppliers whenever they don’t need the electricity themselves. This makes them not only consumers, but producers as well: these are the so-called “prosumers”. Owners of electric vehicles can use their cars to alleviate shortages and surpluses in the power grid.

The many players and their different interests, combined with the rapid pace of change, are making the energy landscape more and more complex.

Challenges

All of this poses major challenges for both “old” and new energy producers. Electricity producers – both large and small – want to know how much electricity their power plants, wind turbines and solar panels generate. When do the systems produce the most, are they achieving optimal performance, when do they need maintenance? Power plant owners already know the answers to these questions, of course, but the new players want to know as well. That is why data and data analysis will only become more important as time goes on. The same is true for energy prices: the prediction of these prices will be crucial.

Advisor

The battle for energy customers is being waged on various fronts. Some suppliers are competing more vigorously than ever on price, while others are focusing more on retaining existing customers. They are offering additional, innovative services that provide added value to consumers, for example by acting as a guide to a sustainable energy supply. This transition has far-reaching consequences, for households as well as businesses.

Whichever strategy you choose as an energy supplier, gaining a better understanding of your customers and your target group is more important than ever. Big Data and analytics help you to obtain real-time insight into your target group, their preferences, and the best ways to connect with and persuade them.
Digital tools can also be used to give customers online advice on how to save energy and make their home, office or factory more sustainable. At the same time, they can get an impression of the impact of the various measures.

IT as an enabler

• IT is een onmisbare schakel bij het analyseren van data en het verkrijgen van inzichten in deze data. Dat geldt voor de eigenaar van een wind- of zonnepark. Die analyseert data om te vernemen hoeveel KWh de windturbines en panelen hebben geproduceerd.
  Dat geldt eveneens voor de consument die dagelijks via een app wil kunnen lezen hoeveel elektriciteit zijn zonnepanelen hebben opgewekt.
• De eigenaren van windparken krijgen niet alleen data over de opbrengsten. De temperatuur, de weersverwachting en de windsnelheden zijn ook belangrijk.
  Door slim gebruik te maken van allerlei sensoren (Internet of Things) in windturbines krijgen ze inzicht in de corrosie op de turbines, de trillingen en  de oliekwaliteit en de temperatuur. Hierdoor is het mogelijk de kosten te drukken door slimmer en effectiever onderhoud en daarmee de levensduur van windturbines te verlengen. Cloud maakt het mogelijk om assets, in dit geval windturbines, op afstand te monitoren. Dit is essentieel voor een succesvolle aanpak van predictive maintenance.
• Software om virtuele centrales, gevormd door batterijen, aan te sturen. Steeds meer virtuele centrales maken hun opwachting. Het aanbod van energie gaat sterk fluctueren. Het bundelen van het aanbod, het opslaan van elektriciteit in batterijen en deze te gebruiken om momenten dat er vraag naar is, is geen toekomstmuziek meer.  Aan die batterij worden verschillende componenten gekoppeld waaronder IoT-applicaties en afnemers die kortstondig stroom kunnen op- of afschakelen.
• Het geven van energieadvies door verbruiksdata te analyseren en proactief voorstellen te doen richting de klant.

Want to learn more?

Every day we help our clients in the energy sector with their digital transformation. Do you want to learn more about the possibilities that technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Native have to offer your organization? We will be happy to assist you.