- New S&P Global Market Intelligence report commissioned by Eaton assesses the intersection of digital transformation and energy transition across building, data center,industrial and utility markets
- Results shows businesses want new energy sources,but more investment in digitalization is required to make it happen
- Fifty percent of companies surveyed are executing a digital strategy, while the remainder are still in the consideration stage or have not yet set a strategy
Intelligent power management company Eaton today announced new research on the relevance of the energy transition in digital transformation planning for power- critical businesses.Commissioned by Eaton, this S&P Global Market Intelligence report –The Intersection of Digital Transformation and the Energy Transition – highlights that although 77% of companies surveyed expect to transition away from their current power sources, only half are currently executing the digital strategies needed to navigate this shift. In addition, less than a third of companies track key sustainability and energy intelligence metrics, and even fewer (17%) have digitally enabled legacy systems.
“We identified a major gap in how businesses are applying digitalization to realize decarbonization goals and this research is a wakeup call, shedding light on the opportunities for businesses to focus investments and make a bigger impact,” said Aravind Yarlagadda, executive vice president and chief digital officer at Eaton. “Businesses need to move far faster on digital transformation. The good news is that the time for action is now, and tools like our Brightlayer digital foundation help businesses gain deeper energy insights that are essential to evaluate worthwhile investments. Our industry-specific software suites are already helping customers meet these challenges.”
The study included 1,001 respondents who are involved in digital transformation efforts across four
power-critical business sectors in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, including:
buildings, data centers, industrials and utilities.
“Until now, enterprise transformation projects have focused primarily on optimizing business processes. The coming energy transition will impact digital best practices and processes and will prove an important competitive differentiator for firms that are first to embrace that approach,”according to Rich Karpinski, senior analyst, 451 Research, part of S&P Global Market Intelligence.
Sector research findings:
Building owners and operators made clear power optimization and ESG reporting are critical issues.Sustainability is the top goal for this sector, prioritized by 46% of the sector respondent. Yet, building owners are skeptical that smart building initiatives will pay off: the top digital challenges include calculating a favorable cost/benefit analysis (cited by 52% building survey respondents) and a lack of pressing digital use cases (45%).
Data centers have embraced digitalization and are now looking for next-generation digital
opportunities to either streamline operations or generate revenue to create competitive advantages.
Next-step goals involve increasing use of renewables, cited by 50% of data center owners; improving energy storage, according to 47% of respondents; and making money selling power back to the grid,
chosen by 34%.
Industrials have focused digitalization efforts on perennial challenges like addressing skilled worker
shortages. Yet, digitalization addressing energy transition lags. Only 24% of industrials cited energy
and power concerns as a key digital driver for industrial transformation. For industrials to maintain or
gain a competitive upper hand, applying digitalization to the energy transition will be a key
advantage.
Utilities are facing massive shifts in energy generation as renewables increase along with the need
for increased digital intelligence. Digital transformation is essential to new business models and
revenue sources, including support for electric vehicles (EV) through customer EV-charging needs
(identified by 49% of utility respondents) or EV charging stations themselves (cited by 45%).
Read the full report, The Intersection of Digital Transformation and the Energy Transition and learn
more about how Eaton is helping accelerate digital transformation and the energy transition.
Eaton is an intelligent power management company dedicated to improving the quality of life and
protecting the environment for people everywhere. We are guided by our commitment to do
business right, to operate sustainably and to help our customers manage power ─ today and well into
the future.
By capitalizing on the global growth trends of electrification and digitalization, we’re accelerating the planet’s transition to renewable energy, helping to solve the world’s most urgent power management challenges, and doing what’s best for our stakeholders and all of society. Founded in 1911,Eaton has been listed on the NYSE for nearly a century.
We reported revenues of $19.6 billion in 2021 and serve customers in more than 170 countries. For more information,visit www.eaton.com
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