The year 2020 has been difficult for everyone. Alongside a global pandemic, it’s on track to be the hottest on record, unleashing more hurricanes, wildfires and droughts than at any time in living memory.

 

This in turn has caused huge challenges for those working to ensure we stay connected to the networks that make modern life possible, such as power and communications.

At Enel X we are showing we can step up and meet those challenges head on. As part of Rome-based Enel Group, the world’s second-largest power company, we have the infrastructure and expertise to offer innovative, digital-driven solutions honed in the energy industry to electric mobility, smart homes and smart cities, intelligent public lighting, integration of renewables, and energy efficiency for households, businesses and public administrations alike.

 

Our focus on integrating power grids and weather-dependent renewable sources such as solar and wind has got us noticed. Because their contribution is inherently variable, adding renewable sources to the mix can cause instability in the grid. This is where our demand response programs have shown their mettle, helping to balance the amount of electricity in grids and ensuring the continuous provision of power across networks.

Our expertise in digital technologies meant we played a central role in keeping the lights on this year, even as temperatures spiked and weather conditions became extreme. Our global Network Operations Center based in Dublin dealt with a record number of demand-response events during the first nine months of 2020, with 340 events – our highest total ever – coming in the northern summer alone. 

 

In California, where wildfires and heat waves combined as never before, the company’s portfolio of programs provided enough flexible grid capacity to power the equivalent of 115,000 average homes.

California and its weather events are a reminder that energy flexibility and programs such as demand response are vital instruments in keeping grids stable. In addition to our work with utilities, we supply the smart technologies that help power factories, hospitals, apartment complexes, and organizations of all sizes. We help customers make the right decisions about energy use, be it generation, storage, or management and ensure they are remunerated if they share power or cut consumption when demand spikes.

That is a win for the utility, which avoids capital investment in new capacity, for users, whose lights stay on, and for the planet. We currently manage over 6.3 gigawatts of flexible load across 15 countries worldwide, each of which varies significantly in terms of regulation and market dynamics. In Dublin, our Network Operations Center processes data from client sites distributed among more than 50 demand response programs. 

The world of energy is already changing significantly, and the pace of change is picking up. We can provide utilities with stability for their grids while also using our technology and expertise to help build a sustainable energy market. Our customers, and the future, demand resiliency, sustainability, and cost effectiveness. We are responding, and developing the cutting-edge technologies required to meet our energy needs. We are helping light the way to a better, cleaner, more sustainable future for all.