On October 26, 2023 took place in León the IV Gala de la Eficiencia Energética and the X Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Awards, organized by the Association of Energy Efficiency Companies (A3E) and that marked an important milestone in the promotion of energy efficiency and sustainability worldwide, being held on this occasion in Castilla y León.
From Smarkia, as a company committed to energy efficiency, we are proud to have been an outstanding sponsor of this event that brought together more than 350 authorities, institutional representatives and professionals from the energy sector at León.
Smarkia leading the Energy Transition
During the inauguration of the event, the President of A3E, Ginés Ángel García, highlighted energy efficiency as a tool to face the social and environmental challenges that lie ahead, as well as thanking the support received for the Gala and taking the opportunity to urge investment in energy efficiency. With it, said Ginés, it will be possible to reduce emissions and contribute to decarbonization.
The Secretary of State for Energy, Sara Aagesen, thanked the companies of A3E, including Smarkia, for their ongoing collaboration with the Ministry of Energy Transition and Demographic Challenge. We Smarkians advocate that this collaborative approach is critical to driving the energy transition.
For his part, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, stressed the importance of energy efficiency today and his commitment to make Castilla y León a benchmark in clean energy and energy efficiency. In addition, he announced the tender for a biomass project for the heat network of León. We applaud these initiatives from Smarkia that promote sustainability and efficiency in the region.
Round tables and discussions
The Gala, in addition to the framework of the awards, also served as the driving force behind two roundtable discussions in pursuit of energy efficiency and energy transition.
On the one hand, in the first round table three authorities were in charge of answering questions from its moderator, Ricardo Fortuoso (Territorial Delegate of A3E in Castilla y León), in this regard. Alfonso Arroyo (Director General of the Junta de Castilla y León), Francisca Rivero (Secretary of I.D.A.E.) and Mar Blázquez (Deputy Assistant Director General of Energy Efficiency MITECO) were very clear on how to reach an agreement to pursue the common objectives of the whole society in terms of energy.
At Smarkia we also participated in the second panel discussion, moderated by the event's presenter Helena Díez-Fuentes; Carlos Pascual (Head of Energy Management Solutions at Iberdrola), José Luis Fierro (Director for Southern Europe at Carlo Gavazzi) and Javier Lozano (CEO at Smarkia) spoke in a relaxed way about the challenges of achieving energy efficiency targets and the strategies to address them.
Javier Lozano CEO of , stressed the importance of the use of technologies, and in particular AI, stating that flexibility in the energy market will be key to success: Smarkia
"There is an imbalance between energy supply and demand. The sector has to be flexible to address this imbalance, we are currently working on this technological challenge where the best way to be flexible is through digitalization and artificial intelligence"
FlexIAa solution and a reality
Taking advantage of this roundtable discussion, Javier Lozano took the opportunity to give a first-hand account of the FlexIA project, which will run for three years and which, starting in August, aims to (r)evolve demand flexibility and aggregation solutions driven by Artificial Intelligence.
This project is already a reality, and with technologies such as Deep Learning or Edge Computing we will increase flexibility in the markets automatically, combining the evolution of two of our most pioneering technologies: the Energy Management System (EMS) and Virtual Asset Management (VAM).
Thanks to FlexIA we will be able to promote the penetration of the renewable energy market in our country, democratizing these solutions until they become accessible to the service and residential sectors. This has already been reported by media such as La VanguardiaDiario de León or InfoNegocios Madridwhich have made eco of the presentation of FlexIA and the words of our CEO.
SmarkiaCelebrating the Commitment to Energy Efficiency
Finally, the X Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Awards ceremony was held to recognize companies and institutions committed to improving energy efficiency and sustainability.
Among more than 50 nominations submitted, only five were awarded in categories such as: Commitment to Energy Efficiency and Sustainability (award presented by Javier Lozano and Juan Carlos Suarez-Quiñones in the Public Sector to 'Paradores'.), Best Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Performance, Best Energy Efficiency Final Degree or Master's Project or Best Start-Up.
We congratulate all the award winners and are proud to have been part of this event that promotes innovation and commitment to energy efficiency.
As a company committed to energy efficiency and sustainability, we continue to work to drive innovation and technology to facilitate the transition to a more sustainable future. We are pleased to have been part of this event that highlights the importance of energy efficiency today and in the future.
The icing on the cake
In addition to the Gala and the Awards themselves, the entire day was enlivened with activities before and after the event, taking advantage of the privileged location of the event and the history and architecture of the city of León.
Prior to the Gala, there was a guided tour of the Basilica of San Isidoro, a Romanesque temple from the 11th and 12th centuries, and the Pantheon of the Kings, which was later accompanied by a cocktail lunch before moving on to the next activity.
Just before the Gala, there was also a guided visit to the MUSAC (Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León), in which, in addition to learning about the history of the building and the project, some of the best exhibits were on display and a presentation of a real case between Auren and Paradores, the winner of the award for Commitment to Energy Efficiency and Sustainability in the Public Sector.
And, as a finale, after the Gala and the Awards, all attendees had the opportunity to attend a cocktail dinner in one of the most emblematic and historic buildings of the city: The Parador San Marcos de León. In the cloister of the same one a dinner was tasted, perfect to close this special event and putting the icing on the cake.
On behalf of Smarkia and the whole team, it was a pleasure to attend the Gala and, of course, to sponsor initiatives like this one that take place in our own house. It was a tremendous pleasure to celebrate together with clients, collaborators, partners, other sponsors, institutions and award winners. See you next year, no doubt!
