ENERA, OR WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM SCIENCE FICTION
What is enera? The enera project seeks to speed Germany’s transition to a smart grid that encompasses new technologies, new market mechanisms and a more consistent, transparent energy information system. It aims at increasing the integration of distributed and renewable energy sources across Germany and beyond. In a nutshell: enera seeks to revolutionize the energy system. As part of the enera project, the peak lab. will help to create the new “interface of energy.”
But if you consider the enera project solely from a technical point of view, the picture falls short. Instead, I think it is the needs of the consumer that will (help) decide the success or failure of the energy revolution.
We need to ask ourselves: how can we get the consumer to embrace the change? How do we get people on board? My response: Simple. All we need to do is show them how the energy revolution will have a positive effect on their everyday life.
A TRIP TO THE FUTURE.
As a proponent of electromobility, I can often be found riding around Oldenburg on my e-bike. On my journeys, I regularly pass by the windparks which have now become a standard feature of our landscape in northwestern Germany. A thought that has always struck me when I see these: the sleek columns and the spinning turbines look like something off the set of a science fiction film. A self-confessed sci-fi fan, I think there is something to learn from this genre as we integrate new technologies into our lives. That’s why I write this energy transformation blog today not from a purely technical or business perspective, but instead I try to explain just what it is about our enera model region that fascinates me and what the intelligent energy showcase has to offer every one of us.
We have become accustomed to the sight of wind turbines. We don’t even realize anymore how resourceful it really is to use a clean energy source that is available to us here in the North in unlimited quantities and virtually without interruption — and which helps us to be energy self-sufficient. At the moment, we are so preoccupied with technical and economic aspects such as grid expansion, storage management, costs and data security that we are beginning to lose sight of the big picture.
The more we hear about new technologies, systems, software, networks and political conditions, the easier it becomes to turn a blind eye to a crucial factor: acceptance by the user. With enera, we have to avoid this mistake at all costs. We must make it our goal to actively involve every single household in the process. Because it is only when the user is on board with us that the energy transformation can move ahead successfully.
THE FIRST TANGIBLE BENEFITS WILL MAKE THE ENERGY REVOLUTION INTERESTING FOR PEOPLE.
How can the individual be involved in the process? The “smart home” — as it is now known in Germany — presents a great possibility. This is a concept that regularly pops up in discussions about the energy transition and one that everyone believes they know what it means. In my mind, this is a fallacy. Sure, we are all aware of the example of the washing machine that washes our clothes when the wind blows and power is therefore cheap. But this example is old hat by now. In reality, we actually have no idea exactly what people’s requirements for a smart home are. As a design-driven software company, the peak lab. is trying to establish at this point how to understand in different ways the demands for a changing energy system. We want to develop products that users will enjoy using. They have to offer a quantifiable added value. And this is where the potential of the enera project comes in.
It is no secret: the energy transition is still viewed skeptically by most consumers. The benefits are rather abstract and the anticipated extra costs don’t appear to be worthwhile. Discussions about technical details also add to the skepticism and confusion. Today, not everyone wants a smart meter in their home. This would change if consumers knew just how they benefit from having one. One thing is clear: intelligent use of energy with smart grids is being implemented now and will soon become so commonplace it will be like smartphones are today. This is exactly what fascinates me about science fiction: how technologies that to us are new and foreign are taken for granted in these other worlds.
FASCINATION, NOT CONFRONTATION.
Every time a new technology is ready to be launched, there is a challenging initial period. Once this hurdle is overcome, acceptance builds among most users. Today, the smart home is sitting at this point. It doesn’t help that the smart meter was introduced by means of legislation, as this gives consumers the sense that they were forced into it. It would be much better to show consumers how “sexy” a smart meter can be and what the benefits would be. We must design products that are simple and intuitive to use. In today’s world, we must motivate people to support the transition. This is easiest to do if we can offer sustainable products that speak to the future of energy — a future that is already here. To me, this means taking the “fiction” out of science fiction and making tomorrow’s world one that everyone can experience. That’s my motivation and that is what the peak lab. will achieve, together with the partner of the enera project. We are looking forward to it!
For more information on the project’s aims, the model region, and it’s partners, please see: www.energie-vernetzen.de
