Overvejelser 06.07.2021
Aidon – a pioneer in smart and environmentally friendly electricity grid innovations
Aidon, with its technology and services for smart grids and energy metering in the Nordic region, wants to spur sustainable, environmentally friendly development of the society.
– We do our utmost to be at the forefront and set the standard for technology in the smart grid of the future. We want to steer and help the energy distribution service operators towards a resource-efficient and more environmentally friendly future, says Aidon’s CEO Tommi Blomberg.
With more than 3 million smart meters delivered to more than 120 customers in Norway, Sweden and Finland, Aidon is the leading innovator on the Nordic market.
– We support and accelerate our customers’ transition to solutions which, through new technologies, enable more efficient processes and promote sustainable development. Our product development produces innovations that have measurable practical benefits for our customers and that meet and exceed the minimum legal requirements, says Bora Heggdal, Director of Markets and Sales at Aidon.
Focus on environmentally friendly technology
The environmental aspects have been a common thread in Aidon’s operations since the company was founded in 2004.
– From the very beginning, we have focused on environmentally friendly technology. Already the first remotely readable and remotely upgradable meters reduced the mileage of installers and grid operators to a fraction of the previous one. When the Alder investment fund became the main owner of Aidon in 2013, environmental considerations became an increasingly important factor guiding our operations, Tommi Blomberg says.
Alder’s goal is to promote the growth of technology companies that provide sustainable solutions. Aidon now aims to strengthen its profile as an ESG investment (ESG: environmental and social responsibility and good governance). The EU’s taxonomy – the classification system for sustainable finance – acts as an incentive. Aidon has ambitious goals for sustainable development and sees it as its mission to promote topics that have a positive impact on the environment.
– For Aidon, responsibility for the environment and people is the basis of all activities and we require that the entire production chain with suppliers and subcontractors meets the requirements in environmental issues, social responsibility and governance, Bora Heggdal notes.
Energy savings, stability and green energy
During the past years, Aidon has invested strongly in the development of digital solutions for grid operators. Smart meters produce and collect data that is combined with network management software and cloud-based energy management platforms.
– Aidon’s technology enables proactive monitoring of the load on the electricity network and active management of the distribution network. This makes it easier to plan the network investments, Bora Heggdal says.
Aidon wants to play its part in solving the biggest challenge in the electricity market, which is balancing electricity production and consumption. As renewable sources of energy with varying production volume, such as wind and solar, become more common in the future, solutions that maintain system stability will become increasingly important.
– Our digital tools promote fast and timely decisions, enabling environmentally friendly, local generation and more efficient use of available energy, says Bora Heggdal.
Towards flexible consumption in homes
Intelligent digital solutions, such as elasticity of demand, aim to smooth out periods of peak demand. A distribution service operator can, with the help of smart electricity meters and with the consent of customers, switch off a water heater or other devices whose operation is not precisely time-bound. On a large scale, this has the potential to contribute to the capacity adequacy and reduce the amount of high-emission production of electricity fed into the grid during peak consumption periods.
According to a study by the Ministry of Labor in Finland, the savings potential of the country’s single-family homes is a total of 1,800 megawatts per year.
Finland’s second largest distribution service operator Elenia carried out a demand elasticity pilot project with about 80 single-family households, using technology supplied by Aidon – meters, connectivity and a reading system. Both Elenia and the homeowners were pleased with the result. The benefit of balancing consumption peaks was significant, and the homeowners did not notice any difference in the comfort of their living.
– The global ESG challenges are massive, but they create great opportunities for companies offering advanced solutions. Together with our customers, we at Aidon want to show the way to a smarter and greener future, Tommi Blomberg concludes.
