#EnelFocusOn London: when data and energy come together

Technological progress is changing the face of utilities and shaping a new era, creating new ways of using and experiencing energy. Data is one of the keys to the future and allows us to always be connected to the things that surround us. 

November 22, 2016 marks a particularly important date for Enel. On the Capital Markets Day, Francesco Starace, Enel CEO, presented the financial community with the 2017-2019 Strategic Plan, which introduces digitalization and customer focus to the strategic pillars of Enel’s strategy.

While the new plan was being illustrated, some of Europe's most influential digital innovators met in an adjacent hall at the Landmark Hotel in London. They had been invited to the second event of #EnelFocusOn, a series of meetings on digital communication that was kicked off in Rome, on September 26th.

Charles Arthur, former Technology Editor at the British daily newspaper The Guardian, moderated the conversation. The guests included journalists, bloggers, startuppers and scholars who are among the leading experts in the field of data.

The meeting focused on the opportunities arising from the use and interpretation of data in the energy industry and on digital tools, such as data journalism, data visualization and open platforms, that help consumers in better understanding their energy needs and allow global players in the energy industry, like Enel, to improve the services delivered to customers.

“We want to make Enel much opener, friendlier and more human”

Ryan O'Keeffe, Director of Communications

Digitalization and the Internet of Things

“A year ago, we announced the new Open Power strategy. Today is a landmark moment for Enel. It is presenting a business plan that is centered on the digitalization of networks and on the Internet of Things. It is a plan that further raises our awareness of the opportunities that an interconnected world can bring. We are engaged in transforming consumers into prosumers, allowing them to generate energy. We are also strongly committed to electric mobility and V2G technology. All this is Open Power. And digital communication, with its inherent openness, is driving our new positioning.”

Ryan O'Keeffe, Director of Communications, used these words to introduce the main speaker of #EnelFocusOn London, David Rowan, editor of Wired UK. 

The magic opportunities of Open Platforms

At a time when innovation is driving energy to push its boundaries, Rowan talked about the potential of open platforms. Today, the digital world is a showcase for services and shared creative solutions designed to meet our needs: from where to have dinner to how to build a DIY rally car. Connectivity provides a grassroots approach to inventing business models and financing them.

In this regard, Rowan stressed the extent to which the power of the crowd is changing the world of energy too. “When growing numbers of people are installing solar panels on rooftops, using hydrothermal power, and are connected to a smart grid, that means that we are no longer simply consumers, but we have become providers ourselves.” 

“If you can take data that is ubiquitous and turn it into something that is actionable, turn it into information, particularly in a visual way, then that starts to get interesting”

David Rowan, Editor - Wired UK

“Everything we do with data is aimed at making the lives of consumers much easier,” added O'Keeffe who explained how to transform the relationship between consumers and service providers, especially in the energy market. Rowan invited everyone to stop a moment and think: “We need to reconsider everything we knew about energy because it will be changed by people who do not necessarily belong to the industry,” argued the journalist, as he explained a trend that is already in full swing: namely, the transformation of users into prosumers who both use and produce energy.

Data that opens the gateway to the world

The hashtag #EnelFocusOn kept track of the meeting, becoming trending topics and telling about the development of open platforms on Twitter. At the end of the event, Isabella Panizza, Head of Global Digital Communications, presented Enel Data, Enel’s new Twitter channel devoted to data visualization concerning energy, renewables, e-mobility and global trends. In keeping up with the latest data visualization trends and with the information made available in reports, infographics and articles from Enel and other sources, @Eneldata is a simple and engaging tool to be informed about the company and the market and to share them with others.

Data can make complex concepts captivating, can inform and can solve important problems. That's why we believe in the power of data to change the world. Follow us on @Eneldata.

On the road with energy

The event in London was a valuable opportunity to discuss how technological progress is changing the face of utilities and shaping a new era, creating new ways of using and experiencing energy.