In our guide to future-proofing energy operations, we looked at how to make your operations safer, smarter and greener with digital technologies. This is crucial for oil and gas, renewables and utilities to realise the energy transition and meet mounting safety, efficiency and sustainability challenges. Now we want to share some hands-on tips for how to move forward on this while maximising the impact and ROI of your digitalisation investments.
Innovation is advancing rapidly in AI, machine learning, DataOps, intelligent sensors, connected devices, digital twins, and other key technologies for the energy industry. To keep up with all this and get the most out of these technologies, in-depth and continuously updated expertise is a must. This is where the right digitalisation partner can step in and play a crucial role in helping you advance on your digitalisation journey.
A digitalisation partner can help you:
- Gain access to digital skills, expertise and training without having to recruit new in-house staff
- Select the right digital solutions for your needs and digital maturity
- Find compliant solutions tailored to energy industry use cases and standards
- Access and maintain data in a secure, centralised cloud environment
Regardless of how digitally mature your organisation is, when considering a new technology or solution, it’s generally helpful to take a step-by-step approach. Not only is this a great way to get started but also to evaluate the potential and impact of an initiative. Try breaking down the process into the following three steps to find the right path forward and maximise ROI:
1. Identify low-hanging fruit: Look for processes in your operations that can generate greater benefits faster relative to the upfront investment.
2. Start with a pilot project: Test the waters with a project that is small enough to deploy in a clearly defined part of your operations but is capable of later being scaled up to other areas.
3. Learn and scale up gradually: Evaluate the results, learn from the experience, and make necessary adjustments. Then start scaling up and adding more digital capabilities step by step to realise the full benefits across the energy value chain.
Upstream oil and gas tend to be where innovations are initially introduced in the energy industry. But it shouldn’t and doesn’t stop there. Some digital technologies have already been brought from upstream to downstream by supermajors like Shell. But this is still just scratching the surface of unlocking the full benefits of digitalisation across the energy value chain.
Let’s take energy nominations as an example of a use case where technologies like AI and digital twins can be scaled across the value chain.
1. Upstream: Avoid penalties for selling overcapacity or buying back excess energy by operating closer to actual consumption of nominations.
2. Midstream: Optimise energy production forecasting by adjusting energy nominations automatically to fit actual production.
3. Downstream: Improve consumption of facilities with varying energy needs based on production schedules and demand by optimising consumption patterns.
The takeaway here is that you shouldn’t keep the vast benefits of the latest technology to yourself – share them with your colleagues, break down silos and see how your organisation can benefit across the value chain. This will make a much more significant impact on the energy transition, maximise ROI and boost efficiency at a more profound level.
We already help energy industry leaders like Shell and Chevron make the most of digitalisation. We manage a high-performance and secure cloud architecture while continuously updating our portfolio with new solutions in DataOps, AI, and digital twin technology – all so you can do what you do best while our experts manage your digital infrastructure. Learn more about our energy industry solutions trusted by supermajors.
