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The energy transition is in full swing, but it is anything but linear. Local governments are seeing their electricity consumption rise due to increasingly electrified mobility, heat pumps in public buildings, charging stations, data centers ... At the same time, hourly prices fluctuate sharply, grid capacity is under pressure in many regions, and geopolitical tensions create uncertainty about security of supply. In such a volatile context, cities and municipalities must adopt an agile approach in order to guarantee the continuity of their public services while keeping their budgets under control.
Local governments that intelligently manage their energy grow from mere consumers to active players in the energy market. They can shift their consumption to hours with low prices - think of charging electric service or patrimonial vehicles at night - and smooth out peaks by deploying buffers such as heat or electricity storage. Moreover, non-critical processes allow themselves to be easily postponed or dimmed in case of grid stress or high tariffs, for example swimming pool filtration or street lighting. In addition, by participating in flexibility markets such as mFRR or aFRR, urban assets can even generate additional income. This flexibility often simply starts with making smarter use of existing facilities: HVAC systems at city hall, CHPs at the swimming pool, public charging stations or battery containers at event venues.
The real leverage comes when all those assets are linked to an energy management system (EMS) that translates real-time data and market prices into automatic control. This creates a dynamic energy system that optimizes consumption, avoids peaks and valorizes flexibility.
A sophisticated EMS communicates with dynamic rates, anticipates grid constraints and always respects comfort and safety limits - crucial for healthcare campuses or urban emergency centers, for example.
Moreover, an EMS is not limited to individual buildings or installations: it can also work overarchingly across the entire patrimony. For example, all PV installations can be automatically controlled when energy prices are negative, thus avoiding yield losses and reducing grid load.
By moving from viewing energy solely as a fixed expense to actively manageable power, local governments can reduce their energy budgets through smart timing, increase their resilience to grid outages and generate revenue in flexibility markets or through contracts with their supplier.
In short, energy flexibility is transforming from technical necessity to financial and strategic advantage.
Ingenium guides cities and municipalities in drawing up a future-oriented Energy Master Plan and rolling out a future-proof energy concept. We analyze your patrimony, quantify the flexibility potential and design a phased route to a smart, scalable and robust energy system.
Energy flexibility is not just an answer to grid congestion or price spikes - it's a lever for better governance, lower costs and greater security. Our reasoned approach takes your local energy policy to the next level, today and tomorrow.
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