How companies can leverage energy flexibility step by step

Flexibility must support the operational processes of organizations without disrupting them. This requires a pragmatic approach that prioritizes small, achievable steps and avoids large investments. Companies that are already making smart choices today are gradually building an energy ecosystem that grows with their needs. A fictional case study illustrates what that process might look like in practice. The technical approach and results described have been effectively applied in practice.

Start smart with what you already have

GBS

Many companies already have a building management system (BMS) that controls comfort and technical installations. This system often already provides insights into energy consumption and user behavior. The first step toward flexibility is to make smarter use of the existing control options within this BMS.

By expanding the BMS with real-time energy insights—such as HVAC, charging infrastructure, PV production, and emergency power installations—you lay the foundations for further optimization. These optimizations always take place within the comfort limits and business processes. Only in later phases does this develop into a fully-fledged Energy Management System (EMS), which also processes external price and grid signals.

Specifically:

• Evaluate the current settings in the GBS
• Expand the GBS with real-time energy insights (HVAC, PV, charging infrastructure, grid balance).
• Provide a growth path to an EMS that can process price and network signals.

Remote monitoring

Fluvius already requires some sites to provide remote monitoring for all decentralized production. This management system can centrally control and manage all decentralized production at a site. Without requiring major additional investment, this requirement can be immediately leveraged to control installations for flexibility gains.

Specifically:

• Control PV and CHP via GBS + remote control and reduce production when prices are negative.

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Strengthen the technical and organizational basis for flexibility

The electrification wave requires a robust internal electricity grid. Companies that are already analyzing and strengthening their grid capacity can deploy flexible assets such as e-boilers, charging stations, or backup installations more efficiently. Where grid reinforcement is often a bottleneck, flexibility solutions such as battery storage, PV, and smart control offer a way to circumvent these limitations.

The electrification of installations such as PV, charging infrastructure, electric boilers, and heat pumps also requires smart control. The ability to switch based on price and grid signals is essential in this regard. By integrating flexible assets such as PV installations, charging stations, emergency power, heat pumps, e-boilers, or heat/cold storage from processes and HVAC installations, freezing and cooling installations, business processes can be secured and supported. Moreover, these installations offer the possibility of flexible control.

Specifically:

• Strengthen the internal electricity grid and bring assets under a single control architecture, so that congestion risks are limited and upgrades are postponed/avoided.
• Integrate flexible assets (e.g., CHP, PV, charging stations, flexible HVAC installations, e-boilers, or flexible processes such as cooling and/or freezing installations) and switch based on price and grid signals.

Fixed energy contracts hide price signals and limit the scope for flexibility, especially when it comes to own PV production or battery storage. Dynamic contracts, linked to a smart EMS, do offer the scope to strategically exploit price fluctuations.

Specifically:

• Switch to a dynamic injection contract and evaluate a dynamic purchase contract.
• Connect the EMS to market and grid signals for automatic response.
• Integrate a fully-fledged EMS into current assets

A high degree of flexibility can already be achieved with existing assets and minimal interventions in the BMS. With the integration of a fully-fledged EMS, existing assets can be controlled more intelligently. Examples include emergency power generators, buffer tanks, electric boilers, or HVAC zones that can be switched manually or automatically in the event of price spikes or grid load.

By making agreements with Energy Managers, companies can quickly achieve tangible results without major investments or automation costs. A common step is to link an EMS to the existing BMS and import dynamic injection rates; HVAC installations are then preferably tuned to solar production, while maintaining comfort and process priorities.

Specifically:

• Connect an EMS to the GBS.
• Coordinate flexible technical installations with solar production, prioritizing comfort and process requirements.
• Use emergency power specifically for mFRR, provided safety frameworks are in place.

Only when existing flexibility has been optimized will targeted investments be made in additional flexibility resources such as batteries or bidirectional charging stations. These investments will be supported by data from the previous steps, thereby avoiding oversizing.  

Specifically:

• Dimension battery and bidirectional charging based on measured profiles and valorize balancing markets where relevant.
• Flexibility as a foundation  

Flexibility is not just about maximizing profits, but about strengthening operational resilience. In an uncertain energy market, a smart, flexible energy system ensures that companies can continue to deliver reliable production, regardless of price shocks or grid constraints. Flexibility reduces dependence on expensive fossil fuel imports and contributes to a more robust, sustainable energy system.

Discover the flexibility potential of your site

Ingenium helps companies identify and activate their flexibility potential. Start with a Flexibility Scan and discover how your infrastructure can contribute to lower energy costs, greater security, and sustainable business operations.

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