An excellent example of collaboration between industry and academia
An excellent example of collaboration between industry and academia
Recently, we were at the University of Mons (B) in Belgium for the inauguration of the ORES Chair (ORES is the power grid operator for Belgium’s Walloon region). The Chair is a great example of collaboration between industry and academia and is dedicated to smart grids. Is this because of the hype surrounding this technology or because of real industry interest? That depends on where we are in the Gartner cycle. In the initial hype with highly exaggerated expectations? In the ‘valley of deception’ with cynicism and refusal? Or have we already gone through all of that and are we seeing the first sustainable business cases being realized? The truth is that for smart grids, all three phases are probably occurring simultaneously, depending on where you are and what you are looking at. Sustainable business cases already exist for parts of the smart grid, such as active network management for remote locations with high renewable energy penetration. But other parts, such as demand-side flexibility management for B2B and B2C customers, are only starting to reveal their true potential.
Laborelec has been involved in smart energy from the very beginning, with our landmark project for the Princess Elisabeth station in Antarctica. And we are working hard on developing new smart applications that will change the way we manage flexibility in the energy system. For instance, we are actively involved in a large-scale Flemish research project on smart grids: LINEAR, Local Intelligent Networks and Energy Active Regions. We are also investigating the opportunities of Smart Local Energy Management. Together with Cofely, we have developed a smart grid demonstration project in Deventer, the Netherlands. Not because of the hype, but because business opportunities are appearing, and customers are already eagerly looking for solutions.
We have a passion for innovation and value creation. And that is exactly what the developments in smart energy are all about.
Bart Boesmans
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