The Technical University of Cluj-Napoca has set up a research centre for energy transition, which has developed an application designed to improve the efficiency of electricity consumption by domestic consumers. Through this application, consumers can receive advice and suggestions for reducing electricity consumption. Although it is free for now, thanks to a grant received by the Cluj start-up, the app will eventually have to become a business.
“The application is called Renergia and should, at some point, become an independent business,” said Denisa Șteț, Senior Researcher at the Research Centre for Energy Transition at the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, at the conference “Digitalization and Energy Efficiency – Cluj-Napoca”, organized by Energynomics.
According to Șteț, the research centre has concrete digitalization concerns based on a multi-year strategy and is looking to collaborate with business to turn academic concepts into potential energy efficiency products and solutions.
At the same time, the university is running a decarbonisation project involving eight partners from four countries (companies, associations and universities) with the aim of providing support in the decarbonisation process by creating a methodology to facilitate the transition from traditional audits to those leading to the decarbonisation of energy-intensive companies.
The project is currently at the stage where the methodology, the development of which was coordinated by the University of Cluj-Napoca, is ready to be tested. The project started a year ago and will run for another two years. The next step is to offer this methodology for testing to potential beneficiaries.
DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION OF DENISA ȘTEȚ
“At this stage, companies entering the programme receive a free energy audit. A classic energy audit leads to a set of possible measures, but we propose to go further and complement the measure with a long-term strategy for decarbonising that company. Decarbonisation cannot be done in the short term and (…) it must be understood that we are not only talking about reducing energy consumption, but about many other aspects,” added Șteț.”
The conference “Digitalization and Energy Efficiency – Cluj-Napoca” was organised by Energynomics with the support of our partners ADC, BCR, Elgeka Ferfelis, EnergoBit, Kawasaki Gas Turbine, Noark, Parapet, Photon Energy, Volt.