Pioneering the Future of Energy with Startup Collaborations

At Axpo, innovation is at the heart of our strategy to transform the energy sector and enable a sustainable future. Our dedication to Open Innovation has fostered impactful collaborations that leverage external ideas and expertise. A challenge from last year on the topic of Data Analytics for Grids resulted in a collaboration with OmegaLambdaTec. One of this year’s challenges relates to digitally backed asset ownership.

Through our partnership with the StartUp Hub Bluelion, we engage with a dynamic ecosystem, facilitating collaborations with other companies and startups. This connection allows us to access fresh ideas, cutting-edge technologies, and innovative business models. Such collaborative efforts significantly accelerate our journey toward a more sustainable future. 

Revolutionizing Data Analytics for Grids 

Last fall, we launched an innovation challenge in partnership with Bluelion, inviting startups to explore innovative solutions for enhancing data analytics in grid management. Axpo collects approximately 100,000 data signals from its grid, presenting a treasure trove of unstructured data ripe for analysis. The challenge aimed to improve the quality and usability of this data to enable innovative applications that enhance network optimization and supply security. 

Through collaboration with OmegaLambdaTec we developed a modular processing pipeline that transforms raw data into a high-quality dataset. This pipeline analyzes IDs and free text, classifies and normalizes signal components, and identifies problem cases, ultimately generating a robust dataset for further analytics. The lessons learned from this challenge emphasize the importance of data quality, showcasing how collaboration between corporations and startups can accelerate innovation and create significant impact.

“Becoming more data driven as an organization is like solving a big puzzle: Every piece is hard work, and it takes time before the whole picture emerges, and the return on investment becomes clear. OmegaLambdaTec helped us with data cleansing and accelerated our development. Many more puzzle pieces are still ahead of us.”

Till Richter, Program Manager Digital & Innovation at Axpo Grid. 

More information can be found here.

New Campaign: Digitally Backed Asset Ownership 

Building on the momentum of our recent successes, we are excited to announce a new campaign aimed at exploring digitally backed asset ownership. This initiative invites innovators and startups to submit their ideas on how digital technologies can enhance asset management in the energy sector. By leveraging blockchain and other digital solutions, we aim to create transparent, secure, and efficient asset ownership models that can revolutionize the way we manage and trade energy resources. 

“Digitally backed asset ownership is key in the energy sector, as limited grid access and rising demand for participation models push project developers or asset owners to collaborate. I see this every day in my work on large-scale battery and hybrid projects, which often become complex and slow-moving under traditional fractional ownership structures.”

Stefan Sommer, Business Developer Battery Projects at Axpo. 

Apply here.