Wanted: Companies Ready to Take Control of Their Energy Costs

Ride the energy transition and turn your production planning into a strategic asset

The energy market is changing rapidly: renewable energy sources make the grid more volatile, and energy prices are increasingly unpredictable. Yet this volatility brings opportunity. Manufacturing companies that manage their electricity consumption smartly can not only cut their bills but also contribute to a more stable grid – and strengthen their competitive position.

We are working with partners to develop optimal strategies for embedding flexible energy use into production planning. Our models, tools, and methods enable manufacturing companies to fully tap into their flexibility potential. Join us on this journey and boost your competitiveness in a changing energy landscape.

Why now?

The Flemish manufacturing industry consumes around 21 TWh of electricity annually. Under the right conditions, up to 1,176 GWh of that can be used flexibly – a substantial but largely untapped potential. By smartly shifting production steps or rescheduling processes, companies can respond to price fluctuations, cutting energy costs while also supporting grid stability and a more sustainable energy supply.

Source: ELIA Energy report

Unlocking flexibility potential

Proof-of-concept modeling shows potential savings of electricity costs by up to 15%. But the challenge is: how do you align production planning with energy prices and grid demand? Flexibility sounds promising, but in practice it is complex. Which processes can be shifted? What are the technical and economic limits? And how do you ensure that flexibility doesn’t undermine production efficiency?

Together with manufacturing companies, we are developing:

• model-based methods to quantify flexibility potential in production lines, so companies know where and when flexibility can be deployed;
• intelligent EMS strategies that use real-time price signals and production data to dynamically adjust schedules and energy-intensive tasks;
• a forward-looking framework that links technical feasibility, economic value, and regulation into practical guidelines for scalable solutions.

Join us!

We are at the exciting start of this journey, and the first steps have already been taken. Workshops and use cases are being set up, and we are looking for forward-thinking companies to take a front seat in the energy transition. Participation is free, and together we will evaluate your specific use case.

Who are we looking for?

• Manufacturing companies with a production site in Belgium or Western Europe. We will carry out a model-based study of your site and provide a tailored report showing how much electricity consumption flexibility is available in your production processes – and how you can start cutting costs right away.
• Manufacturing machinery builders with R&D activities in Belgium or Western Europe. Based on our model-based studies, you will receive insights into the critical technical bottlenecks for developing flexible machinery that meets the requirements of flexibility trading.

Take the lead, reduce your costs, and strengthen your competitive position.

Technologies

Power and Energy Components and Systems

Advancing electric machines, batteries, power electronics, transmissions and thermo-fluid energy systems.