Pushing The Boundaries Of Innovative Energy Management

Proximus, the largest Belgian TelCo, committed to reaching Net Zero by 2040. To do so competitively, it needs to maximize the amount of locally consumed renewable energy while keeping associated costs and risks under control.

Our joint innovation track connects the Companion.energy Energy Management Software with the deep Proximus expertise in the smart grid space to drive common value.

“At the heart of our collaboration is a shared belief that innovation in energy management software technology isn't ‘just helpful’ for the energy transition; it's critical. When a corporate like Proximus and a startup like Companion.energy come together in this spirit of innovation, the potential for impact is enormous” – Stefan Bovy, Energy Lead, Proximus Group

Innovators united:

Our collaboration brings together the best of two worlds, unleashing the power of advanced data analytics on the Net Zero challenges that many companies face.

Proximus brings rich expertise in the Smart Grid IoT space, ranging from IoT digital twins to cutting-edge 5G product development - essential technology for the energy management space.

“Energy Management technology and associated data solutions are increasingly important to Proximus Group, both internally and externally. Internally, our Network Business Unit (NBU) continuously strives towards running a more energy- and cost-efficient network. Externally, through our Proximus NXT offering, we also support other medium and large companies with end-to-end data services. This business segment will be key to realize society’s renewable energy goals.” – Mark Degraef, Innovation Manager Energy (NBU), Proximus Group

With Companion.energy, we bring the Belgian tech start-up spice to the table.

Our machine learning-based forecasting and optimization algorithms translate operational and financial energy data into control signals that can be used across the energy value chain increase to cost-efficiently increase local renewable energy consumption.

Software to Balance Emissions, Costs, and Risks:

The energy transition is shaking energy management to its foundations. The times when companies could simply (re-)contract energy every few years, focus on efficiency projects over the contract duration and keep an oversight in a couple of Excel files, is over.

“A higher exposure to energy price fluctuations is becoming the norm as companies adopt a more diversified energy contract mix (on-site renewables, off-site Power Purchase Agreements, conventional utility contracts, baseload hedges). Next to the electricity price itself, also grid charges and taxes are becoming increasingly time- and location-specific as many grid operators start to adopt network congestion-based tariffs.” – Jonas Verstraeten

Of course, the discussion stretches far beyond the cost aspect alone. Proximus champions sustainability and wants to accelerate renewable energy adoption.

“Proximus is committed to be circular by 2030 and reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions across our value chain by 2040. We aim to play a crucial role in enabling other sectors to reach net zero. With this innovation track, we therefore want to pave the way to reach these objectives and set the right example for others.” – Filip Vandenabeele, Business Innovation & Development Manager (ESP), Proximus Group

To be truly future proof, energy management requires a real-time, data-driven approach that considers emissions, costs and risks. The software solution that Companion.energy and Proximus are pioneering focuses on three layers:

• Combining relevant energy data—whether it's operational numbers, financial figures, or sustainability metrics— into a real-time energy, energy cost and energy emissions balance.
• Forecasting this balance with pinpoint accuracy.
• Turning those forecasts into actionable control signals to cut costs, reduce risk, and ensure Proximus is meeting their sustainability objectives around the clock.

We started implementing and testing our software solution on a selection of Proximus' own energy consumption points. This, to demonstrate how a software-first energy management approach can lead economical as well as ecological benefits.

“You might ask yourself: What’s next?! The energy market and energy transition are evolving at an unprecedented pace. We are very happy to collaborate with Proximus Group to continue innovating, and to improve the business case for large energy consumers’ energy transition journey.” – Thomas Vyncke