Modern heat, cooling, and electricity generation systems combine multiple sources, and these more complex portfolios are challenging to operate economically. The transition from coal to portfolios consisting of cogeneration units, electric boilers, heat pumps, batteries, and photovoltaics brings greater complexity and the need for data-driven decision-making.
"Modern sources place higher demands on operational planning, but also offer greater opportunities for savings and profits. It's about using market dynamics to your advantage, planning and managing the system intelligently, with a connection to the market," explains Vladimír Hlavinka, owner and chairman of the board of ORGREZ Group.
Whereas heat production costs used to be stable and operations could be planned on a weekly basis, today energy prices change every hour.
"It is necessary to continuously optimize the production plan and fuel sources used according to weather conditions and market signals. Operations must be planned every day, 365 days a year. Decisions must be quick and automated," adds Jan Krišpín, CEO of ORGREZ.
ORGREZ TRADE offers solutions primarily to operators who have flexible resources but lack their own experienced trading or flexible asset management. Switching to a modern system may generate losses and unused operational flexibility instead of savings.
"With ORGREZ TRADE, customers gain an experienced trading team and asset management as a service, without major investment or risk," says Vojtěch Vavřička, director of the new company. "We will reduce and stabilize heat production costs, maximize flexibility revenues, and ensure optimal combined heat and power operation and support services," adds Vavřička.
The new company provides online operation planning and energy trading. It comprehensively manages and optimizes the operation plan for cogeneration units, electric boilers, heat pumps, storage, and other sources based on forecasts of commodity prices and demand, including immediate responses to developments and trading in gas and electricity. The service is primarily intended for industrial and municipal entities with complex modern sources that have the ability to manage or shift the timing of energy production or consumption, or to use storage.
ORGREZ TRADE is a joint project of ORGREZ Group and the international IT group NITES Group, a leader in innovative customer experience solutions.
"The combination of ORGREZ's know-how in the field of energy operations planning and optimization and NITES' cutting-edge technological expertise in the creation of large-scale software systems has resulted in a robust, next-generation service," adds Vanja Ožegovič, CEO of NITES.