Energy Mission 2025: the energy transition is accelerating. Can your data keep up?
Our Business expert in Energy & Utilities Tom Claus headed to Energy Mission, and came back with some new insights… and a wake-up call for companies and (government) agencies.
Energy Mission brings together experts, entrepreneurs, and researchers within the energy sector. The goal of this event is to stimulate innovation and encourage cross-fertilisation.
The common thread? The energy transition is speeding up faster than predicted. It’s a success story of accelerated adoption, but at the same time a wake-up call for our infrastructure and digital foundations.
The big question: can those foundations keep up? Because software development, data, and AI are essential for the next steps.
The challenge: an unexpected explosion of green energy
The keynote speech by Prof. Koen Schoors (Ghent University) set the tone. He emphasized that the long-term growth models have consistently been underestimated.
The adoption of PV installations, heat pumps, and electric vehicles (EVs) is gaining momentum faster than we thought.
Graph: forecasts (yellow) versus reality (black). Even the most optimistic predictions did not see this type of growth coming. Source: https://www.exponentialview.co/p/the-forecasters-gap
But this success has a downside: grid congestion.
Our networks are not equipped to handle peak loads and the decentralization of energy sources. The consequences are already being felt: some cities have to tear up 75% of their streets to upgrade their electricity grids.
ETS2 levies will also have an impact.
ETS is short for Emissions Trading System, a type of legal framework set up by the European Union to regulate CO2 emissions. This includes future levies on gas emissions. These levies will accelerate the shift to electricity and heat pumps. This in turn will put even more pressure on our electricity grid.
The solution: data as a foundation
With cities and governments aiming to be carbon neutral by 2050 at the latest, there is growing demand for structured, data-driven planning. Data is key.
A thorough energy analysis of consumption, assets, and links with companies such as Fluvius are needed.
De Gebouwenpas shows what such a solution could look like in practice. On this digital platform, we have centralized all information linked to a building: certificates, inspections, reports, etc. This digital passport brings together all data from various (government) agencies and turns it into practical insights for energy-efficient renovations.
The technology: Energy Management Systems (EMS)
The need for control and optimization is met by advanced EMS solutions.
Image: an EMS in a home setting.
Lander Vanton (SDM-Projects / ATS) presented a multi-asset EMS that focuses on insight and control of various assets:
- EV charging,
- home battery,
- solar panels,
- combined heat and power
- ...
The EMS architecture is a four-part system that perfectly reflects our needs:
- Connectivity: integrates protocols such as MQTT, OPC UA, Modbus, KNX, and BACnet.
- Data management: collects and processes the enormous data flow.
- Visualization: provides insight into that data via dashboards and overviews.
- Intelligence: controls and optimizes those assets based on data.
Image: an example of EMS architecture
The big question: are you digitally up for it?
The future is decentralized, electrified, and requires maximum flexibility and intelligence. Data and AI, as Inge de Waard (InnoEnergy) emphasized, are no longer an option, but the strategic element that connects the entire energy transition together.
Data is key.
But in practice, we notice that many companies and (government) agencies lack a strong, coherent IT/data layer.
That is precisely where our strength as ACA Group lies. With our expertise in data and data mesh and the expertise of our AI teams, we can capture, harmonize, and provide insight into all those data flows — from EMS to AI forecasts and process data.
Are you facing a similar challenge? Get in touch and we will help you out. Just as we have already done for more than 100 customers in this sector.
