Engineering Magazine – June 2019

ENGINEERING JUNE 2019 27

Adapting for change
Yet for all of this, the biggest barrier
will be ourselves. Today’s engineers
have learned their trade in the last
few decades, yet the skills required of
them will change in the coming ones.
In an interconnected, data-driven
world; engineers will find they are
required to be software and hardware
engineers, and even drone operators,
as much as they are required to
be power engineers. Knowledge
and information will be treated as a
precious company resource and will
be managed and maintained.
This will require cultural
transformation. Companies that adopt
a forward-looking and nimble posture
will steal a march over companies that
are slower to adapt. The Silicon Valley
“move fast and break things” mentality
might seem anathema to engineers
who have grown up in a world of
careful design and planning, but just as
tech start-ups are currently challenging
the status quo in the transport and

retail industries, they will challenge

engineering too.

Another challenge is to develop digital

solutions within a strategic plan, so that

data sources are carefully consolidated

and synergies are fully exploited.

Finally, in this fast-paced world,

companies that do get first mover

advantage must not rest on their

laurels, lest the advanced technology

of today become the legacy system

of tomorrow.

The coming revolutions

All of this means those of us who are

working in the energy sector can no

longer consider ourselves discrete

from technology experts. We must

understand both worlds. Companies

and their people must now start

planning to become digital-first. This is

about weaving digital into the fabric of

what we do – not simply as something

that is bolted on.

What’s more is that this revolution

is happening hand in hand with

another one – decarbonisation. This

will be complemented by the digital

one. It will be digital technologies that

facilitate decentralised generation,

load balancing and demand-response.

Traders are already using AI based

forecasting and algorithmic trading

to help them get ahead of their

competition in energy markets, and

digital tools are being used to help

companies attract and retain customers.

It is this final element which makes

the revolution inevitable. The energy

industry simply will not continue as it

is. As we’ve learned by speaking to

clients through our own digital readiness

service, change is often unsettling – even

for those who understand it best – but it

is happening, whether we like it or not.

If you haven’t started the journey to a

digital future yet – start today.

Stephen Woodhouse is Chief Digital

Officer at Pöyry.

http://www.poyry.com/digital

ENERGY INDUSTRY