Elena González, Chief Executive Officer of DelCAE
DelCAE is a new venture created in the context of Spain’s new regulation on energy savings certificates. The company is a Delegated Subject of the Energy Savings Certificate Market (CAE), an instrument that allows energy savings to be monetized, according to the EU Energy Efficiency Directive.
Behind this exciting and cutting-edge project is Elena González, former Chief Energy Services Officer of Acciona Energia and a renowned expert in the energy sector. With more than 30 years of experience in the areas of environment, commercialization of energy, efficiency and sustainable energy, renewable and alternative fuels mobility, Elena González has held various consulting and management positions in companies such as Acciona Energia, Sinergeia, Gas Natural Fenosa and Union Fenosa. She was also General Director of ANESE (National Association of Energy Service Companies) and responsible for the creation and general direction of Energylab - Efficiency and Sustainability Energy Technology and Vicepresident of the Spanish Technology Platform for Energy Efficiency. Not surprisingly, Elena González was selected as one of the 40 Most Influential People at the European Utility Week, 2014, and is a regular speaker at national and international energy fora.
We are thrilled to have Elena on Wiimer’s “Five Missing Dots” and discuss the role of AI and data analytics in the energy efficiency market.
Wiimer: In your opinion what is the importance of the recent system for Energy Efficiency Certificates (EEC) in Spain and what is the role of DelCAE in such system?
Elena González: This new Energy Efficiency Certificates (EEC) System established a real market where the product to be bought and sold is the saved energy, this means that every saved kWh, obtained at the final user side, is subject to be monetized with the additional benefit for the referred final user.
In terms of competitiveness of our enterprises, this system is a catalyser of the investment in energy efficiency technologies that will improve our productivity.
From the point of view of Spain, as member of the the EU, this new market will allow us to achieve the huge increasing challenge that has being set since now till 2030.
DelCAE has being created with the-best-in class team, to become one of the best specialist in the market to monetise the energy savings with rigorous, agility, guarantee and quality. In other words, to be the mentioned catalyser in the energy efficiency market.
Wiimer: In what way business intelligence and data analytics could support the EEC system implementation?
Elena González: When talking about a new market, to be able to make decisions to guide business and strategy almost on real time and with a very limited information, it is crucial for reinforcing the trust in it. The use of BI and data analytics will help to reduce the uncertainty in a good percentage and to provide key insights, so we can make more accurate decisions to make the market works.
Once the companies are operating, it is necessary to deal with large amounts of generated data, that must be carefully analyzed it to provide high quality outcomes under performance metrics such as efficiency, sales and costs related to the business. Nowadays, for launching a new company in this type of market, it is essential to define the operating procedures relying on BI and data analytics tools from the very beginning.
Wiimer: For DelCAE, specifically, how could business intelligence and data analytics support the company’s operations and growth strategy?
Elena González: As I said in my first answer, DelCAE has just been specially created to work in the new EEC market, but some of the team members and partners have a long record in managerial positions in both mature and new business. We are strong believers on the use of Information Technology in general and BI and data analytics in particular, to design and operate any procedure. Working in this way, guarantees the level of high quality and rigorous that we want to offer to our customers.
Wiimer: What do you envisage as major challenges for developing a data and AI strategy at a new venture such as DelCAE?
Elena González: In this market there is no history, a part of the one we can find in other countries. Therefore, to define the variables and the pattern of behavior of the different actors, as well as the evolution of the market signals such as price and quantity to match the different demands and offers, is an interesting challenge. When using data and AI strategy some of those variables should be previously defined if we want to come out with the right decisions. Nowadays, we are still in a very prelaminar stage and this could hamper a fast implementation of AI strategy.
Wiimer: Where would you like to see DelCAE in five years’ time?
Elena González: I really see DelCAE as one of the reference Delegate Subject in this new market. Working with our clients, as their partners, to increase their competitiveness thanks to the deployment of the most energy efficiency technologies with the help of the best value for their energy savings that we will provide them. We have born with the firm conviction in this market and to that end, we have pulled together knowledge, experience and talent of one of the best team, 100% dedicated to the EEC management.