Over time there have been many processes along with technological advancements that have changed the way productivity is carried out within organizations. First the industrial revolution took place that brought with it, the transition from manual production to mechanical production. The second milestone in this history was mass production. In the third revolution the automation process was made possible. Now the fourth industrial revolution is marked by the internet, cybernetic systems, digitization, robots, cybersecurity and the transition of energy.
The fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, involves the combination of advanced production and operation techniques with smart technologies that are integrated into organizations, people, and assets. Additionally, this term refers to the way organizations achieve the concept of smart industry, with the ability to better adapt to customer requirements and production processes, as well as focusing on the efficient use of resources.
Some basic principles regarding the integration of Industry 4.0 tools that will allow the interconnection and internet use in operational and industrial processes include:
- Interoperability: implies the interconnection of elements and human resources through the internet and its services.
- Virtualization: allows virtual copies of information from BackOffice systems, sensors, simulation models, and more.
- Real-time capacity: ability to capture data, perform analysis and make decisions in real time.
- Modularity: Flexibility when adding, removing, or replacing elements.
Industry 4.0 marks a before and after in the way we work in terms of the use of resources and the optimization of time, offering high benefits in the energy sector and the industrial sector in general. On the other hand, the importance of Industry 4.0 applied to the energy sector is that it will allow the adaptation of technological trends, as well as promote the energy transition towards clean and sustainable energies. Among the objectives of this fourth industrial revolution in the energy sector is the use of new ICT technologies to improve the management of energy efficiency and make the operational processes of the business sustainable.
Regarding the optimization of processes pursued by industry 4.0, this cannot occur for the energy sector without considering the monitoring of energy transactions, as well as digital transformation and digitization. This sector, together with the industrial sector, can be fully competitive by reducing costs by implementing intelligent solutions that allow adequate management of energy demand. Energy efficiency is an important factor in competitiveness because this is associated with industrial strategies based on competitive products generated with lower energy costs, together with higher market demand and innovation that represents the added value of energy efficiency.
The benefits offered by Industry 4.0 in the electricity sector are:
- Implementing great technological advances for the sustainability and efficiency of the sector.
- Provide flexibility in operational processes.
- Allows to achieve a degree of personalization in the services to satisfy the requirements and needs of the clients with greater certainty.
- The ability to have accurate information in real time.
- Guarantees efficient use of resources and increased productivity.
- Allows the monitoring of the entire chain from generation, transmission, distribution, and commercialization in a precise and exhaustive way.
- The possibility to automate processes and increase the operational efficiency of companies.
- Adjusting supply and demand in real time, reducing ineffective operations.
- Improves the prediction of failures and incidents, which allows to extend the life of equipment and improve stock management.
- Allows generating useful information for analysis and operational optimization.
- Connectivity between users and equipment enables the flow of information necessary for comprehensive decision making.
The key to the energy transition is industry 4.0, as this will allow the sector to equip current systems with necessary tools such as data logging sensors, and various elements that will facilitate the optimization of processes. On the other hand, the introduction of information technologies such as Big Data or artificial intelligence will allow the development of sustainable and efficient models for the consumption and production of energy. This will open a world of never-before-seen possibilities in energy management, making it possible to prevent and correct inefficiencies in real time, as well as decision-making based on predictive mathematical models.
In conclusion, the so-called industry 4.0 has relevant contributions to the energy sector, marking a before and after in the way we work and act. A revolution that will continually change the energy sector as technology continues to advance.
Primestone has accompanied the energy sector for 30 years with high quality comprehensive solutions for data collection, management, and analysis; During our trajectory we have developed a culture of flexibility that has allowed us to adjust to the challenges posed by the industry, as well as to the needs and requirements of our clients. Therefore, we have created a solution that addresses the challenges that Industry 4.0 brings to the energy sector, it is PrimeAnalytics plus, a solution that integrates Big data, analytics, IoT and that is interoperable with other back-office systems to exploit the data from measurement systems and manage your smart grids and AMI infrastructure.