Prof. Stefano Maggi’s Experience with the MiCRET Project
As part of the ecological and energy transition promoted by the European Union, the solution to the shortage of skilled labor inevitably involves digital transformation and the evolution of professional profiles. This is the context for the contribution of Prof. Stefano Maggi, one of the leading experts in Digital Energy and a professor at the ITS Green Academy, who offers a practical perspective on how technical training is changing to meet the challenges of the renewable energy sector.
This article explores the evolution of the role of the Digital Energy Specialist, a profile at the intersection of energy engineering, IT, and sustainability. In particular, it is important to note—as highlighted in our recent report on skills needs and the state of the art in training offerings in Europe —that digitalization is both one of the main barriers to overcome and an essential driver of competitiveness.
A Digital Energy Specialist is a professional figure who optimizes energy processes through the use of advanced digital solutions.
Those in this role help companies optimize costs, achieve greater operational efficiency, and implement more sustainable procedures. Therefore, a Digital Energy Specialist integrates skills in both digital and energy field.
Through study and application of the knowledge acquired, they will be able to support companies interested in making a change and guide the transition to an increasingly sustainable future.
After providing a general overview of this new profession, let’s take a closer look at its practical aspects and the tasks performed by those in this role.
This involves a series of essential activities in a corporate context. Specifically, these may include:
- energy process analysis: assessing the efficiency of applied energy processes and identifying potential improvements and optimizations
- implementation of digital solutions: identifying and introducing new technologies with the aim of increasing efficiency and limiting potential energy losses by monitoring data
- data monitoring and analysis: collecting data and information for subsequent analysis of energy processes using advanced technological tools
- technology updates: proposing potential technological, digital, and energy improvements based on the results obtained, to stay current and optimize work processes
- cross-functional collaboration: promoting communication between teams and the implementation of new procedures in harmony across departments to improve productivity and facilitate the integration of new solutions.
The skills required for a Digital Energy Specialist to pursue this profession include:
- knowledge of the energy sector: to work in the energy field, this professional must thoroughly understand the mechanisms and various energy processes involved. In-depth knowledge is essential, ranging from energy production to its distribution, including the technologies used
- advanced digital skills: given the growing importance of digital technology and the increasingly important role that new technologies will play in the future, the specialist must be able to understand and utilize artificial intelligence and especially data analysis
- project management: as a complex sector requiring the coordination of multiple departments, this professional must be able to manage complex projects. Tasks may require planning, execution and monitoring to ensure the optimization of energy processes
- problem solving and effective communication: complex problem-solving skills are important for this new profession. Those in this role must be able to identify the issues and address the various challenges required to transition to new and improved processes, thus implementing new digital solutions in the energy field.
To do this, the course must include skills in Programming Industrial Automation Systems (IEC 61131-3), CIM frameworks (SCADA architecture layers), Programming Languages, Decision-making Aids and especially wired and wireless Industrial Communication Networks (IIoT, Industrial Ethernet and Fieldbus protocols, etc…).
The practical and laboratory technical challenges posed to students are always guided by design, from the basic idea to the practical implementation.
Currently, as an example (in the Smart Building Management field), students are working on a system that proposes, through an investigation and analysis procedure, the goal of:
- provide adequate knowledge of the specific energy consumption profile within the building through measurements of electrical quantities of desired loads upstream or downstream of the lines or at any point of the electrical system
- identify and evaluate energy saving opportunities, analyzing them in terms of costs and benefits.
In particular the procedure involves the development of the building’s energy structure which, through a structured process, allows for a complete and exhaustive picture of the system’s reality.
The building is divided into functional areas.
Once the set of functional areas has been defined and the energy weight of each of them has been determined by means of design and instrumental assessments, the implementation of the monitoring plan must be defined in order to both continuously monitor the significant data of the building context and to acquire useful information for the management process and give the right energy weight to the specific service provided.
In this analysis phase we intend to establish:
- the energy balance and the punctual distribution of consumption by type of system/service
- the energy performance indicators of the individual monitored loads
- the assessment of the optimal amount of energy needed for the building
- the opportunities for improvement of the building system in terms of energy efficiency, considering for example:
- the age and current condition of the electrical, technological and thermal devices present, compared to similar products available on the market
- measures to reduce or recover energy losses or dissipations
- partial or total replacements of devices, machinery, modifications or additions of improvement tools
- improvement of the efficiency of the functional operating conditions and improvement of the ordinary and extraordinary maintenance of the energy-consuming devices of the plant
- staff training and education programs in energy management and usage behavior.
The fundamental mindset a Digital Energy Specialist candidate must possess to successfully navigate this path, is one (or both) of the terms synthesis and convergence.
This role doesn’t require simply being an IT specialist or an energy technician, but rather the “bridge” between these two worlds.
To overcome both the theoretical aspects and the demanding internship periods in the company, this mindset is made up of one main element: Data-Driven Lifecycle. An ideal candidate doesn’t stop at the superficial understanding of “how” a system works, but wants to understand “how to optimize it through data”.
An ideal candidate must also have:
- cognitive flexibility (moving from the study of the principles of thermodynamics and hydraulics to the logic of IoT algorithms and programming, as previously mentioned) and Data orientation (viewing a thermal or photovoltaic system not just as a collection of pipes and cables, but as a continuous source of information to be collected, cleaned, and analyzed)
- operational Problem Solving (the right mindset rejects a purely theoretical approach and embraces tolerance for technical error and economic and sustainability awareness, every digital optimization must translate into real economic savings)
- a propensity for continuous change (Lifelong Learning), because the sector of ecological transition and digital technology is evolving at an impressive pace.
It’s important not to expect all the knowledge to come from teachers, but to demonstrate autonomy in the search for innovative technological solutions.
Stefano Maggi
