The enerTIC platform’s latest breakfast symposium addressed “Innovation and digitalization in the field of alternative energies to meet the new energy challenge.” Participants included representatives from various companies in the industry as well as technological companies, all with the goal of sharing the main challenges facing this industry in terms of digitalization, innovation, and energy efficiency.

Almudena Nieto de Castro, Head of Business Development for GMV’s Energy and Utilities Sector, was one of those participating in the event, which also brought together companies such as Capital Energy, Cepsa, EDP, Enagás, Galp Energía, IDE (Iberdrola), Redexis, and Siemens Gamesa.

The challenges of the energy transition

Spain's Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge recently updated its 2021–2030 National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC), a document that establishes Spain's plans in various areas, including the implementation of renewable energies. Specifically, the new goal is to reach 48% of renewable energy in energy end-use (6 points higher than the previous forecast) and reach 81% of renewable energy in electricity generation (a 7% increase) by the end of the decade.

This need to implement alternative energies in such a limited period of time is in fact one of the major challenges the Spanish energy industry is currently facing, according to the participants in enerTIC's breakfast symposium. The goal is to take an industry that has traditionally been quite conservative, stable, and lacking in digitalization and turn it into an innovative ecosystem committed to decarbonization and the use of alternative energies, all under time pressure.

The gradual implementation of mainly solar and wind energy sources is a step in this direction. However, in these cases, there is the issue of how to store the energy produced and distribute it to the grid, especially when those producing it are the end users themselves. As such, the energy grids must be up to date and prepared in order to ensure that there will be no supply quality issues.

At the same time, the industry is working to implement other sources of alternative energy, such as green hydrogen and biofuels, but these sources are still in their infancy in terms of production, management, and implementation in the energy ecosystem. Even so, all the participants in the event confirmed that in coming years, they will be feasible alternatives to fossil fuels.

However, to make progress in this regard, government authorities must continue to pass regulations that help guide industry companies by facilitating their work and enabling what is known as the “energy trilemma” (supply security, energy equity, and environmental sustainability). Meanwhile, these organizations must be clearly committed to the digital transformation, as the only way to achieve the goals needs to move towards the energy transition is through technology.

Artificial intelligence, a must-have ally

Recent years have seen major technological developments in the energy industry, such as the implementation of big data, cloud computing, 5G technology, and mobility management. However, those who attended the breakfast symposium see generative artificial intelligence as the disruptive element that will truly mark a turning point in the industry. Using high-quality data, this technology will improve the efficiency and speed of processes and will help facilitate the industry's transformation. And if we add in quantum computing, this tool may be even more useful for the industry in coming years.

Sensors, the internet of things, digital twins that can be used to create simulations, and information analysis are also going to be key assets in helping the industry make the leap to the massive implementation of alternative energies. In this context, access to high-quality data is especially important for perfect monitoring of these data and decision making.

Even with the help of technology, achieving the ambitious goals of decarbonization means doing more in increasingly less time. That’s why it’s essential for the industry to work as one, sharing information among government institutions, businesses, consumers, and society in general. As participants noted at several points throughout the event, the industry has the obligation to achieve in twenty months what previously would have taken twenty years.