Sympower is an independent aggregator and a flexibility services provider.
Founded in 2015, Amsterdam-based scale-up specializes in optimizing the energy strategy of commercial and industrial companies by unlocking the inherent flexibility of their electrical assets and allowing them to participate in the program called Demand Response. By doing so, they can generate new revenue streams, protect the planet, and accelerate the transition towards a fully renewable energy system.
Sorry, can you repeat? Demand Response what?
The answer to this question did not come easy to me. While my role at Sympower was (and still is) a Marketing Intern, and becoming an expert in the energy domain was never on the top of my to-do list, it turns out that having in-depth knowledge of the company you work for really helps with day-to-day tasks. The more you know. With that said, let me provide you with a short lesson on the basics of energy systems.
The role of a power system is to generate and distribute energy. While this might seem very straightforward, those systems are incredibly complex in reality. Fluctuations in consumption and energy production influence the frequency of the grid – which has to be kept at 50Hz and impact the wholesale costs of energy in the long run, making them uncertain. On top of that, said fluctuations can result in severe consequences such as power outages and blackouts.
To meet various ambitious climate goals, countries are currently stepping away from traditional coal-fuelled generation and moving towards renewable energy sources. There is, however, one problem – their intermitted nature. Solar panels rely upon the sun, wind turbines, you guessed it, wind. And we cannot necessarily force the sun to shine brighter to provide us with more electricity supply to match consumption at a given moment. Result? Previously mentioned imbalances. That is where Demand Response and flexibility services providers step in.
Demand response is a change in electricity consumption by end-users (such as commercial and industrial businesses) to help balance the electricity grid during peak production or peak consumption times. Most large companies use a lot of electrical equipment to run their operations. Let me provide an example of a greenhouse that uses high electricity-consuming lamps to grow crops. When Demand Response is implemented, the consumption can be adjusted, and some lights strategically switched off, which, when done correctly, does not harm the crops and helps restore the grid frequency to normal. On top of that, the company receives monetary compensation for their participation from Transmission System Operators – governmental bodies responsible for the power grid’s reliability.
Sympower and other companies alike do just that – allow for a smooth implementation of Demand Response and unlock the hidden flexibility of electrical assets.
(More) important lessons from my internship.
During my six-month internship at Sympower, I did not only learn about Demand Response. I was responsible for the internal and external communications, managing social media platforms, writing articles and helping with their distribution, tried dipping my toe in the world of graphic design. I got to experience having a full-time job and the responsibility that comes with it. But most importantly, I learned that just because something outside your field seems complicated or, shall I say, near to impossible and frustrating at the start does not mean you should quit. You might even end up enjoying it at the end.