Why our Green, Decentralized Energy Future Needs Collaboration

New technologies, such as the Internet of Things, energy storage, artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain are increasingly fueling a prosumer movement. The promise of decentralized energy is bright. We are witnessing the democratization of energy in action, and it is something to be celebrated. Local, smaller energy players can make the most of their regional expertise, using their proximity and local connections to make energy projects a success. Today private corporations, individual homeowners and grid operators are all contributing to a cleaner, but more complex and dynamic energy world. As this localized energy community evolves with a diverse set of actors, the need to structure the complexity increases. The existing traditional model is not adapted to new the requirements and this diverse value chain needs to be orchestrated and connected.

 

A meeting of the minds

 

Today the most disruptive and successful businesses are facilitators and connectors. They use digital technology for communities to exchange ideas, discover energy applications and provide their own services. If one intends to go far and succeed in today’s world, one way to do so is to heighten customer-centric technology development to another level by empowering a digital ecosystem of members that can create, collaborate and scale innovation. This means bringing together a bunch of experts and innovators of diverse backgrounds from across industry, software and technology together and providing them access to a digital space with the necessary tools and resources to solve a specific challenge.

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Growing in the digital economy

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By combining network of partners and technology providers that offer solutions with AI, machine learning, and more, you gain access to whole new markets and to the specialist skills local players need to grow. Above all, it lets organizations pool their resources in the spirit of shared success. Many companies that were able to grow phenomenally in this digital age specialize in digital supply chains, asset performance, predictive maintenance, cloud and mobility, smart design and engineering, and connectivity among others. One example of such collaboration programs is the Schneider Electric Exchange, they provide you with access to the best problem solvers in the industry, encouraging collaboration to scale solutions that support future decentralization. Often, such collaboration involves hosting open innovation competitions whereby experts are invited to work on a project together and through this project, they can gain recognition and other tangible rewards for their efforts and success. The resulting project can also be better use for the benefit of the businesses that host such competitions such as using the codes or ideas developed from participants to improve the company’s software and applications. Through collaboration, renewables projects are also able to source the financing that they require. Investors can quickly source, audit and fund renewable energy assets. All parties involve in this process will be able to exchange large amounts of information efficiently, while also boosting trust by listing all deals on an open exchange.   

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The era of closed businesses is over!

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The challenges posed by climate change and spiraling energy demand are global in scale and demand global solutions to solve. Fortunately, a digital ecosystem represents a new way to accelerate digital innovation and knowledge-sharing. In a more decentralized world, digital co-creation environments like this will be vital in the future, supporting and fostering tomorrow’s energy breakthroughs.

 

With that, we encourage fellow electric enthusiast to join us together in a collaboration to share our thoughts and resources here on Squares to learn the ways of powering the digital economy!