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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIf you look at the picture above, you can find a new market role \u2014 prosumer. This is a participant of the energy market who can produce and consume energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the central point of the whole Energy Transition and the main reason why we need Future Digital Energy Systems. The two-way relationship between producer and consumer is getting blurred, and we need to shift to an open market with appropriate flexibility and security of transactions. All technology, legislation and investments have to be reconfigured towards a much bigger number of participants with less available capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is not new to our society. We have made such shifts before and proved that it can be successful. Take a look at financial markets and stocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the beginning, financial markets were built on the supply\/demand principle with strong central regulations (governments). If you wanted to participate in this market you needed to have capital, connection, and appropriate assets. Most of the society was not participants of the financial markets \u2014 they were only consumers of the goods. Sounds similar to nowadays energy systems, isn’t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the introduction of a stock exchange, the situation started to change. People have entered financial markets and become stakeholders of companies. Nowadays, every participant is an equal \u201cprosumer\u201d of the financial market by using products created by companies but also becoming an owner of those companies (if not directly than through different pension or healthcare systems, subsidies, and donations).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Claiming the status quo of existing energy systems (centralized, hydrocarbon-based) needs appropriate reorganization of the whole system. Take a look at a comparison of two systems \u2014 centralized (pre-Energy Transition) and decentralized (post-Energy Transition).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Energy Transition is a major driver for Future Digital Energy Systems, but it will not be possible to reach the end goal without our second monster. To make a step change from centralized to decentralized systems, we need to embrace Digital Transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you noticed that I am using a plural form for Future Digital Energy Systems? I do not believe we will have one global system which will rule the whole energy market. It will be, again, similar to financial markets \u2014 legislation will push towards worldwide unification (to have a common framework) but an adaptation of the requirement will be on the country, municipal, or even household level. Nevertheless, all those systems need to be integrated and interoperable with each other (to maintain the principle of working \u2014 cooperation).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Without Digital Transformation, it will be extremely difficult to maintain a certain level of trust and cooperation. Thanks to the adoption of digital technology, companies can improve their business process, increase intimacy with customers and suppliers and faster adapt to changing environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Putting trust and cooperation at the forefront of guiding principles for Digital Transformation we can equip ourselves with technologies and mechanisms which will promote secure and open communication (i.e., blockchain technology), fair and equal treatment of the participants (common platforms) and faster development (inter- and intra- industry collaborations).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00b7 A significantly big volume of active energy markets participants will require robust, efficient, and open communication to maintain an appropriate level of integrity and speed of the whole system. A leading technology that can support this is blockchain.\u00b2<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00b7 New energy systems, like none of the technology before, need to base on Dumas’s maxim \u201call for one, one for all\u201d. All participants need to have equal access to assets and technology, and the entrance barrier needs to be as low as possible. This is addressed by a concept called System of Systems.\u00b3<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00b7 By scaling up digital transformation to vast companies and society, the time to market of new technologies is decreasing (like hydrogen, small modular reactors, solar geoengineering, etc.) which eventually will start a chain reaction of the golden era for Future Digital Energy Systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a result, Digital Transformation is a major enabler for Future Digital Energy Systems, and without appropriate guidance and care for this part, it will be extremely difficult to adapt to Energy Transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.yokogawa.com\/eu\/blog\/app\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/04\/Graphic-Article.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDigital Transformation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nConclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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