Trends Affecting the Energy Sector in 2019


Every year, the energy sector is faced with a new set of challenges. Over the past few decades, the aim of the game has been to bring the cost of energy generation down whilst simultaneously increasing its efficiency. In 2019, however, the landscape looks slightly different.

Thanks to the advent of the Internet of Things, and a number of other highly data-intensive developments, demand for energy is higher than ever before and increasing at an unprecedented rate. But, on the flip side, increased efficiency by way of widespread automation, among other things, intends to bring this demand back down.

So, what do scientists predict to be the main trends that will affect the energy sector in 2019?

Automation, Automation, Automation

Automation is the word on everyone’s lips right now. From vehicles to factory machinery to even entire cities, everyone is working towards automation. In the long-run, this is expected to increase energy efficiency but right now automation is still in its developmental stages and the experimentation requires a lot of energy. When automation is fully embedded into our society, we can expect to see an overhaul of traditional cost and business models as well as new infrastructures being implemented.

Energy Storage

The conundrum plaguing scientists around the world right now is how to efficiently and cost-effectively store energy. Battery storage is one of the most popular choices, but the range of storage methods is vast. In 2019 we can expect to see serious advancement in the world of personal and commercial energy storage. This will increase energy efficiency enormously by allowing us to fully use all of the energy we generate without wasting a large portion of it as we do now.

Creative Solutions with Existing Technology

Around one and a half billion people in the world do not have access to regular energy. This allows energy companies scope for setting up energy infrastructures for these people using the clean energy we have already developed – a fresh and clean start if you will. They can use solar, wind, geothermal, biomass or any other renewable source to create a brand new infrastructure where people need access to electricity. This keeps the carbon footprint the same whilst solving the issue of energy poverty.

Electrification

We have already seen the splash that has been made by electric vehicles, but the process of electrification does not stop there. We are seeing electric alternatives popping up in all areas of society. In addition to cars; motorcycles, buses, ferries and even planes all have electric proto-types that are expected to go mainstream over the next few years, if they haven’t already. The effect of widespread electrification will be to dramatically reduce our carbon footprint. However, it will be important to ensure the infrastructure for recharging is put in place before electric transport can be fully adopted by the public.

Digitisation

Unfathomable amounts of data are collected every day from the general public. As digitisation increases, this data load will grow respectively. Not only will this require more data centres and the correct data cooling facilities, but it will also require careful navigation of regulatory boundaries. Data is carefully protected now thanks to the GDPR. While data collection gives consumers more personalised retail experiences, with personalised suggestions, smart meters etc. it must be mined and used with great care and that will present challenges and require energy.  

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