The energy transition is essential for achieving global climate goals, but it also involves risks related to the immaturity of technology and potential cyber attacks on energy infrastructures, said Aurel Nicodin, Facility Services Manager at the Canadian company Celestica, during the conference “Energy efficiency for the energy transition – Oradea”, organized in Oradea by Energynomics together with the Romanian Fund for Energy Efficiency – FREE and the Directorate for Energy Efficiency within the Ministry of Energy.
“The energy transition is a challenge, but also a huge opportunity. It stimulates technological innovation, increases economic competitiveness and contributes to the creation of green jobs, but in managing current solutions and implementing future ones we must be aware of potential risks and problems. Let’s not forget cyber security in an increasingly digitized world, because there is a risk of cyber attacks and damage to critical energy infrastructure,” said Nicodin.
One of the risks is related to the dependence on new technologies that are in a stage of continuous development and have not yet had the necessary time to demonstrate their reliability. These new technologies may be less mature and may exhibit deficiencies or unexpected problems in operation. Therefore, it is essential to verify their safety, reliability and performance before they are widely implemented.
Another aspect is related to the costs associated with the implementation of these innovative technologies, because they can be more expensive than their conventional alternatives. In addition, it is necessary to ensure the security of infrastructure and energy networks and their ability to integrate new technologies
“In order to switch to new technologies, investments and adequate financial support must be taken into account, as well as governmental and regulatory policies to stimulate the adoption of these solutions,” Nicodin added. Last but not least, consideration must be given to the recycling of equipment related to these new technologies, an operation that is both expensive and technically difficult and can cause severe pollution if carried out carelessly.
The conference in Oradea was the 2nd of a series of 5 scheduled by the Energynomics communication platform, the Romanian Fund for Energy Efficiency – FREE and the Directorate for Energy Efficiency within the Ministry of Energy. The project is financed by Norway Grants 2014-2021.