TTTech ZYNE

Energy costs represent a significant and increasingly volatile share of operating costs. The progressive electrification of industrial processes means that energy is no longer just a commodity, but a strategic resource that needs to be actively managed and plays a role in location decisions and investments.

Storage systems, renewable energies, e-mobility, electrification of processes and other new technologies open up new possibilities, but also pose new challenges in energy control.

The reliable prediction of a company’s own energy demand is becoming more complex due to renewable self-generation, electrification, and increasingly flexible utilization.

Battery prices have dropped significantly (by more than 80% in the last decade), making energy storage much more accessible to industrial and commercial customers. However, most companies lack the systems needed to optimize the operation of new assets such as batteries, renewable energies or e-mobility in relation to market and production conditions.

Highly precise real-time energy data is becoming an indispensable basis for well-founded decisions in the energy sector, whether for energy efficiency, self-consumption optimization or products’ carbon footprints.

Increased crises are causing disruptions in the energy supply, making renewable self-generation, price hedging, storage and proactive energy management essential.

Companies are increasingly looking for solutions to optimize their energy supply and adapt to volatile markets - this is a competitive advantage, as it can significantly reduce electricity costs.

Energy markets are showing increasing price fluctuations. The Austrian balancing energy market, for example, shows price differences of up to €15,000/MWh, and the situation in Germany is much the same.

Deviating load forecasts result in increased financial risks for energy suppliers. If consumers are optimizing, e.g., their energy cost or their own consumption, without the energy supplier being aware, there is a risk of high balancing energy prices.

The constant balancing of supply and demand on the energy market leads to enormous price fluctuations on intraday and day-ahead markets and to considerable price risks for market players. As the share of renewable energies increases, this market volatility intensifies – therefore, new trading strategies, real-time data, and improved forecasting tools are increasingly important.

The elimination of base-load power plants increases the importance of the day-ahead and intraday market. However, trading in real time using algorithms requires a very good data basis and short-term volume forecasts.

The increasing price differences create new opportunities for developing flexibilization and flexibility commercialization.

In Austria, renewable energy sources account for about 80% of electricity generation (59.4% water power, 12.1% wind, 7.7% solar). However, only about 11% of the installed PV capacity can be managed, which makes integration into the power grid more difficult.

The expansion of renewables intensifies market dynamics and increases the need for intelligent real-time energy systems.

For a successful energy transition, industrial and commercial enterprises have to become more flexible. As service providers, energy suppliers can open up new business models for PV project planning, storage, heat pumps, and new technologies. In particular, the management of flexibility leverages synergies in the best possible way - for both sides.