The annual IoT Solutions World Congress takes place in Barcelona from 31 January to 2 February 2023. This year, Eneco’s Paolo Herdé (Head of Asset Innovation) and Peter Dreschler (IoT Change Lead) will speak at the conference. IoT Solutions World Congress is the world’s largest annual conference in this field, bringing together more than 16,000 visitors, 250 exhibitors and 300 speakers to explore digital transformation through sensor data and IT. As Eneco’s partner, Conclusion AMIS has spent the past four years helping turn Eneco’s ambitions into reality using IoT data.

Eneco aims to help consumers and organisations switch to sustainable energy. To achieve this, the company worked with Conclusion AMIS to build an IoT platform that can communicate with the thousands of heating systems in its network. The platform was later extended to solar and wind energy systems. In their presentation, Peter and Paolo explain how it contributes to Eneco’s environmental ambitions. IoT adds value by improving asset performance through higher availability and lower costs, while also supporting Eneco’s climate goals. The platform’s flexibility and scalability give Eneco endless opportunities to put innovations into practice. 

Ahead of the conference, we spoke with Paolo and Peter about their session and their journey over the past few years. Paolo explains: “In our session, we share our experiences and explore topics such as value creation, building an IoT platform and establishing a cycle of continuous innovation using IoT data. I think we have reached a point where we can share some IoT best practices with the world.”

Peter adds: “Eneco’s implementation goes beyond a single element. It is a multifaceted solution spanning every domain and the entire value chain of an energy company. IoT adds value to customer processes, asset management, energy trading, production, energy supply, technicians’ work and home energy management. It is a broadly applicable platform that can connect data from all kinds of energy assets and systems.” Paolo continues: “This creates a large-scale network connecting all our energy assets. We can retrieve data on their status and consumption, for example, and send messages back. This gives us a highly detailed picture of the entire energy network and allows us to intervene and adjust its operation down to the smallest detail. That is the foundation for our use cases. In effect, this solution lets us build use cases on top of one another and innovate very quickly.”

Peter explains: “To make this IoT implementation possible, we carefully assessed which solutions would best support both individual use cases and the platform’s broader requirements. This means making clear choices to avoid running into limitations later. Many of our challenges have a point solution that addresses that particular need perfectly but does not work well with other use cases. We therefore need to take control and make decisions about the platform and hardware that allow us to reuse them in the future.”

Paolo continues: “With this approach, we have created a kind of menu from which we can combine solutions. Initially, this was difficult because many components were still missing. Now, we can implement use cases quickly by reusing what already exists. Many requests now fall naturally into place, and we can see our earlier decisions paying off. This approach also means building everything to scale, so we are prepared for success.”

Paolo says: “We started with a relatively unexciting project. Legislation required us to read heat meters digitally by a certain date. This became the foundation of the IoT platform. By deliberately avoiding the label ‘IoT project’ at this stage, we were able to establish a solid foundation without too many distractions. From the outset, we considered scalability, security and privacy. That proved very valuable later.”

Peter adds: “We continually focus on the business value we can extract from IoT data. This keeps us from getting stuck in a pilot and directs our attention towards large-scale implementation from the start. We certainly consider costs when scaling, but because we are in control, we can justify them through further growth. The key is to select high-value use cases at the outset. A rigorous selection process keeps the platform relevant and valuable. That value also motivates us to put the use cases into production quickly and professionally. We examine the data we generate closely too. Only then does its full value become apparent. With something as simple as consumption data, measured frequently, we can create usage profiles, balance supply and demand, and optimise utilisation across the network. Naturally, we process this data within our organisation’s privacy framework and only with our customers’ consent.”

Paolo explains: “From the beginning, we recognised that we did not have all the expertise in-house. We deliberately chose to source it from our partners and involve them actively in the collaboration. This includes connecting OEM equipment, establishing the foundations for IoT data processing and providing connectivity hardware. We now have all the ingredients Eneco needs to deliver a wide range of new services. Take a complex device such as a heat pump. We can now provide a complete service covering hardware, connectivity, data flows, optimisation, maintenance and monitoring, using our own data. That gives us a significant lead over our competitors.” 

On Tuesday 7 March, we are hosting a recap of IoT Solutions World Congress 2023 at our office in Nieuwegein. As a regular attendee, AMIS is bringing a summary of the key developments and innovations to the Netherlands in a free three-hour information session. Peter and Paolo will also repeat their Barcelona presentation for a Dutch audience. 

Registration is closed.