Three days filled with energy

Here’s the thing about E-world: it never really changes, and yet it’s somehow a bit different each year.

Europe’s leading trade fair for the energy sector always offers the chance to network and exchange ideas as you learn what your fellow industry players have been working on, but what you get to see and hear, or what your friends and partners have accomplished since the last time you met is never the same. That’s what makes it so much fun, and the 2023 edition was no different.

Some of what we said in our wrap-up last year we could simply copy and paste here, which of course we won’t, but let us explain what we mean.

In June 2022, our entire continent, and much of the world, was in the middle of an energy crisis the likes of which we hadn’t seen in decades. The challenges seemed almost too big and too numerous to tackle. And even though there is now much less talk of the “global energy crisis” that made the headlines throughout much of 2022, the challenges our sector is facing are still considerable and hard to count. But, and this is also something we mentioned last year, we tend to see challenges as opportunities. And we’re not alone.

In fact, everyone in the sector has a similar mindset; without it you may not even last in the energy industry. Not to mention that when you’re literally responsible for keeping the lights on and the economy running, there really is no alternative but to think like that. As always, it was great to catch up with all these like-minded people and businesses whose primary goal is to offer products and services that make sure the energy system is not only efficient and stable but also increasingly digital, decentralized and clean.

A year ago, we had the opportunity to present our solution, Energy Market of Things (EMoT), at the fair in Essen, but a year later our platform was still very much the main focus of attention. Talking of turning the industry digital, decentralized and clean - EMoT takes care of all that and more. But of course our visitors can expect plenty of new ideas and technologies this year too:

1) Demand for higher granularity - and not only for system operators
Energy production and energy markets are changing rapidly. As renewables dominate certain hours, the calls for dynamic pricing models, tariffs and a market design that enables it become louder and louder. However, these steps would require a significant update not only from a regulatory and metering perspective, but also from the system operators’ IT capabilities. Transmission and distribution system operators are already recognizing these challenges, looking for systems with new approaches and architecture that can scale to handle millions (or even billions) of time series efficiently. TSOs are particularly interested in updating their ancillary services management systems and data hubs, while distribution system operators or metering device operators also need a major overhaul to effectively manage new, high granularity data (especially taking into account the submetering need, which might be a reality within a few years).

2) Traders more vibrant than ever before
One of the most amazing experiences during this year’s E-world was the high number of new market entrants, traders of various sizes and approaches. A new generation of traders are offering innovative business models: boutique “trading as a service”, or focusing on decentralized energy resource integration and efficient trading of these assets, or simply serving energy communities. The demand for flexible, scalable trading software is booming. Our Trader Suite, which we’d been honing to support algorithm-based automated intraday power trading, not only supports these new needs but has recently attracted quite a lot of interest as traders look for ways to optimize for the balancing platforms MARI and PICASSO.

3) Data exchange remains a key to market access
There have also been a lot of questions about our Communicator Suite, which both power and gas market participants can integrate with any type of trading and/or dispatching solution. In a market that is increasingly connected and cross-border, the move towards more standardized, more modern data communications is another big step that will help market participants of all kinds to operate smoothly and reliably.

 

Ultimately, trading is communication and our services help make it more effective. This, however, doesn’t mean that we enjoy good old-fashioned, face-to-face communication with other humans any less. Quite the contrary. Many visitors stopped by our stand over the three days in Essen for a chat - these conversations, whether they’re strictly business-related or not, make the event really special. And on Tuesday afternoon we let wine do the talking.

Our Hungarian Wine Party is now something of a tradition at E-world and an undoubted highlight every year. Sipping some quality wine while having a conversation is just about the best way we can think of to wind down after a busy day at a trade fair, and judging by the turnout our party attracted, we’re not the only ones who feel this way.

It was great to see you all, and to those of you who we missed, we hope your visit to E-world 2023 was just as exciting and fun as ours. Sadly, we have no wine left, so it’s only our proverbial glasses we can raise: here’s to an excellent second half of the year, and we look forward to seeing you all on February 20-22, 2024, when we all get together again in Essen.