Latest news with #SAPforEnergyandUtilities2025
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Wired For Change: Endeavour Energy's Strategy For A Net-Zero Future
Between now and 2030, the energy network will change faster than it did in the last century. That's according to Guy Chalkley, CEO of Endeavour Energy. Chalkley was sharing his thoughts on navigating the energy transition at the recent SAP for Energy and Utilities 2025 conference in Rotterdam. 'Every success story is a tale of constant adaption, revision, and change,' he said, quoting Richard Branson, the British entrepreneur and founder of the Virgin Group. The topic of aviation was clearly on his mind—perhaps because he lives in a country where it takes five hours to fly from one side to the other. Endeavour Energy, the major network operator in New South Wales, Australia, delivers electricity to over 2.7 million people across the eastern coast of the country. 'We've typically added about 20,000 new customers each year,' Chalkley said. 'But what's really benefited Endeavour lately is a strong push—both from the federal and state governments—to move more people to Western Sydney.' Chalkley went on to explain that in ten years, 7 out of 10 new jobs and 7 out of 10 new residents will be based in Western Sydney. 'But it's not just about moving people—they're building the full infrastructure to support the move,' he said. 'A big part of this is the new Western Sydney International airport, which is acting as a major catalyst for all the development happening in the area.' Most airports are located in the middle of cities, so flights usually stop by 11 p.m. due to noise restrictions. Building a new airport in Western Sydney changes that. The new airport will operate 24/7 and be a major logistics hub. Amazon has already set up its central Australian distribution center there, along with many major supermarket distributors. The new airport will also open up access for international airlines, which currently struggle to get landing slots at Sydney's main airport. In addition, a brand-new city—Bradfield—is being developed around the airport and is expected to grow rapidly. The new airport is a transformative project for Australia's logistics and freight sectors, offering enhanced capacity, continuous operations, and integration with broader economic initiatives in the region. All of these developments come with a substantial demand for energy. Managing a complex energy system Endeavour Energy The energy ecosystem is complex. It includes transmission infrastructure to transport energy from generators such as wind or solar farms to supply stations. It includes electricity distributors such as Endeavour Energy to transport energy from the supply stations to the local substations, as well as retailers who handle billing and invoicing. It now also includes privately generated power and distributed energy resources (DER) to manage electricity that is generated and shared locally. With the rise of solar panels and home batteries, many households are now playing a direct role in creating and distributing energy. DER refers to the devices that can generate, store, and control energy to ensure its consumption at a particular time. The contribution of a single household to the network might seem insignificant, but the combined energy flow can have a significant impact on the network load. In this new scenario, energy is flowing two ways—from the customer to the network and vice versa, creating a challenge for traditional networks that were not designed for the two-way flow of power. Many adjustments are required to smooth the flows of fluctuating power and ensure power reliability. However, DER offers great benefits. When well managed, it allows more renewable power onto the network, which is often cost-effective. 'We are leveraging technology and data to plan the grid of the future where batteries, microgrids and solar integrate seamlessly with the traditional distribution network to power communities for a brighter future,' Chalkley explained. The company supplies an area over 25,000 square kilometers, with more than 430,000 power poles and streetlight columns, 202 major substations, and 32,600 distribution substations. They are all connected by nearly 60,600 kilometers of underground and overhead cables, more than the distance from Sydney to London and back. The network also integrates with renewable energy sources including 200,000 residential solar connections, industrial solar and embedded large-scale batteries. 'We're working with customers, stakeholders, and regulators to help deliver a clean energy future where smart meters, batteries, and solar enable customers to generate, store, and sell back electricity into the grid,' he said. For this reason, the company is deploying more than 80 community batteries throughout the network to alleviate some of the pressure on energy costs while increasing access to renewable energy. Chalkley highlighted the fact that such a vast network can't be reliable without being resilient to climate change. 'There's a growing dependence in society on electricity as we electrify everything,' he said. 'We have a detailed strategy for making our networks resilient against weather events like floods, bushfires, and increasing urban heat.' At Endeavour Energy, resilience is defined by the ability to anticipate, withstand, recover, and learn from major disruptive events. The resilience strategy includes: To achieve this level of resilience the company's strategy is fully aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 'From a distribution perspective, we're in a good place to actually effect change, as we're probably the link that allows other businesses to change,' Chalkley concluded. Because sustainability is not just an environmental issue, the company is engaging more with the community and customers. It is also investing heavily in innovation and in employee training to build the necessary skills and mindset for the future. Prepping for a net-zero future Endeavour Energy 'As a distribution company, our goal is to facilitate the transition to renewable energy to secure a more sustainable future,' he said.
Forbes
07-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Learn How AI Helps This Energy Company Boost Efficiency
Queenslanders love a road trip, so Sarah Zeljko, chair of Energy Queensland, decided to run with the theme as she described her company's exciting transition to renewables. She was on stage at the recent SAP for Energy and Utilities 2025 conference in Rotterdam to share her company's dreams for an electric future powered by technology, innovation, and people. Mapping the journey 'Such a transition is often perceived as a long and winding road,' said Zeljko. 'The journey is on unmarked territory with planned and unplanned pit stops. We have a carload of adventurers, innovators, planners, and navigators, along with some weary travelers, and some who didn't want to leave home in the first place. We all have to run very fast up a very big hill to get this done.' With 1.7 million square kilometers, Queensland is the second largest state in Australia. It's nearly two and a half times the size of Texas, and it takes 32 hours to drive across. It's also known as the country's 'Sunshine State,' so it's not surprising it boasts the world's leading rates in rooftop solar. Zeljko's presentation was accompanied by impressive images of rows and rows of houses, almost every second one topped by rooftop solar panels. The spread of rooftop solar Energy Queensland Energy Queensland serves 2.3 million customers, 97% living in coastal cities with the remaining 3% spread across the vast territory, requiring an expansive infrastructure. The company manages more than 180,000 square kilometers of powerlines, including 1.7 million utility poles. In this landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) is a game-changer for forecasting, optimization, and customer service, though it comes with cybersecurity challenges. 'Although we were late to the game, we clearly appreciate the transformative potential of AI in enhancing energy efficiency, optimizing the power grid, and improving cybersecurity,' said Zeljko, who says her job is really to look at the big picture. 'For us, it means increasing innovation and developing partnerships to realize a sustainable and resilient energy landscape.' Changing the game With 9,500 employees, the company is a major employer in Queensland. It's at the absolute forefront of providing a critical service, in good times and in times of disasters. No longer just a poles and wires business, the company is leading the country in pilots and trials, working with the industry to enable greater flexibility in the way people use energy. For a long time, discussions were all about large-scale generation, both coal-fired and renewables, and the large transmission infrastructure needed to transport electricity to homes and businesses. The system was originally designed for a one-way flow of electricity, but the bookend of the electricity flow has really started to shine. 'Now, customers are also generators, selling electricity they created back into the grid,' she explained. 'Homes, neighborhood batteries, and electric vehicles are all using a grid that was designed to go one way, and suddenly we have a grid that flows two ways, something that was totally unthinkable not so long ago.' The energy industry has evolved rapidly and data drives decisions. In the past, Energy Queensland had about 50,000 points of information coming in at about 30-minute intervals, whereas now it can have 2.4 million pieces of information at one-to-five-minute intervals. While artificial intelligence can drive efficiency and productivity in this environment, new opportunities come with heightened risk. 'We must keep our eyes wide open to the potential pitfalls of this emerging technology,' said Zeljko. 'We have significant obligations to safeguard ourselves against cyber threats and bad actors. As AI becomes more integrated into the energy sector, our obligations extend to ensuring AI systems are secure and resilient against manipulation.' Deploying technology Sharyn Scriven, the CIO of Energy Queensland, emphasized the critical role of technology in enhancing productivity and safety, particularly during storms and cyclones, through mobile-enabled field applications and the use of new technology such as camera equipped drones for damage assessment. The integration of SAP solutions since 2016 has been equally critical. 'Our SAP implementation has positively impacted the workforce and reduced task turnaround times,' Scriven explained. 'We were able to reduce complexity and modernize the technology landscape for better business agility.' Scriven also highlighted the importance of transitioning to RISE with SAP, a guided journey to move from on-premise to the cloud, to quickly unlock the full potential of SAP Business Suite. Key focus areas for Scriven's team include: Ensuring appropriate Executive sponsorship for business led / digital enabled projects Process standardization and a Clean Core goal Data cleansing and de-duplication Understanding business readiness and change impacts ahead of any technology change Implementing a 'show, don't tell' approach enabling staff to get 'hands on' with new technology 'The transition to RISE with SAP was initiated as the timing was right,' said Scriven. 'We had a window of opportunity in our delivery program, further supported by our need to adhere to the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act, also adhered to by SAP.' Having laid the groundwork with IT systems that are fit for purpose and not overly complex, Energy Queensland is set to leverage AI for greater operational efficiency and better decision-making. That's how the company is playing a critical role in shaping the future of energy. Follow me on LinkedIn: Judith Magyar
