The event “INFO DAY WEH ENERGY” organized by PETAL within the Wallachia e-HUB (WEH) project brought together dozens of experts and guests representing local public authorities and small and medium enterprises. The speakers presented the objectives of the WEH project, which aims to support the digitalization needs in the South Muntenia region.
The Hub assumes the role of coordinating and stimulating the digital transformation process through integrated innovative services and solutions with a multiplier effect in the region. Relevant experimentation infrastructure to test the main advanced technologies (AI, CS, BIM, GIS, robotics, etc.) can be made available to beneficiaries for testing before investing and innovative alliances between local businesses and public actors will be encouraged to accelerate digital transformation.
Wallacchia University, the host of the conference and one of the pillars of the digital transition in the South Muntenia Region, was represented by the Rector Prof. Univ. Cornel Sălișteanu, as well as an important number of university professors and researchers. Prof. Univ. Cornel Sălișteanu emphasized the openness of the University to collaborations, including in the field of digitalization.
Prof. Univ. Nicolae Olariu, former dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at Wallacchia University (1997 – 2004) and executive president of the SUNE New Energy Sources Employers’ Association, referred to the recent changes that make the paradigm in the energy sector “totally different”, as a result of the shift from monopoly and centralized control to distributed generation, mainly due to developments in the information technology sector. “Without IT there are no micro-grids, balancing, demand-side management, optimizing house automation applications and charging electric vehicles,” he stressed.
Prof. Olariu also mentioned the problem posed by the lack of well-qualified manpower; not only in Romania, there is a need to train energy specialists “on a core of software applications”. Finally, he then set out a long list of business opportunities, including for small and medium-sized enterprises, in the new context of energy digitalization.
e-HUB project manager Prof. Dr. Costin Lianu said that the initiative aims to bring together municipalities and SMEs interested in assessing their own digital capabilities and in enhancing them. “We offer consultancy, training, testing, help in accessing funding and networking resources where potential beneficiaries can meet solution providers,” said Prof. dr. Costin Lianu. In his presentation of the Wallacchia e-Hub project, he also presented the concept of “digital maturity assessment” as an essential tool to start and follow up the digitalization process.
Other speakers were Manuela Drăghicescu, Energy Expert Project WEH (“Support services in investment identification”), Prof. Univ. Cristian Florian Dincă, Energy Expert WEH Project (“Skills development through training services”) and Florin Lianu, Digitalization Expert WEH Project (“Integration of SMEs in national and European regional eco-systems”), before the visit during which those present had the opportunity to see several types of mini power plants based on renewable energy sources at the Institute for Multidisciplinary Scientific and Technological Research ICSTM.
The “INFO DAY WEH ENERGY” event also included the ceremony of awarding the Wallachia eHUB ambassadors diplomas. Among the Wallachia eHUB ambassadors is Energynomics editor-in-chief Gabriel Avăcăriței. In his acceptance speech, Gabriel Avăcăriței spoke about the impact and importance of digitalization and the role it has to play.