Digitalising the Green Transition: Welcome to SDU, Our Newest EERA JP EEIP Member
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The EERA Joint Programme on Energy Efficiency in Industrial Processes (JP EEIP) has announced its newest 2026 member: the SDU Center for Energy Informatics from the University of Southern Denmark (SDU). SDU brings a distinct digitalization-oriented profile aimed at bridging the gap between process-level efficiency and wider energy-system transformation. As European industries face decarbonization challenges, the green transition requires integrated approaches that connect industrial operations, digital infrastructures, energy flexibility, and sector coupling. SDU’s arrival strengthens these specific capabilities within the alliance.
A System-Level and Digital Perspective The SDU Center for Energy Informatics specializes in the digital transformation of energy systems, utilizing technologies like IoT, Big Data, artificial intelligence, digital twins, and advanced decision-support tools. Within industrial processes, SDU focuses on ICT-centered solutions that optimize energy efficiency and predictability without compromising operational reliability or product quality. This data-driven, system-level perspective complements JP EEIP’s existing technology-focused research across smart industries, buildings, cities, networks, and business ecosystems.
Innovation in Action: SDU's Flagship Initiatives The institution has a proven track record of developing functional software tools and platforms to empower industrial decision-making. Key initiatives driving their current research portfolio include: • The DECODE Project: Standing for "Data-Driven Best-Practice for Energy-Efficient Operation of Industrial Processes," this initiative develops an IoT, edge computing, and cloud-based software platform. It automates the collection and analysis of energy and production data to reduce emissions and energy use while maintaining throughput. • Sector Coupling Initiative: This project focuses on "Enabling Sector Coupling of Energy-Intensive Industrial Processes in Energy Systems" via a dedicated digital twin platform. It explores the latent flexibility potential of industrial facilities to help balance electricity and district heating systems under real-world constraints.
Strategic Goals for 2026 and Beyond Joining in 2026, SDU’s immediate priority is to integrate into JP EEIP’s core activities and foster concrete collaborations on digitalization, data analytics, industrial energy flexibility, and climate-resilient energy systems. SDU also intends to leverage its broader international engagements, such as its involvement in the International Energy Agency's Industrial Energy Technologies and Systems (IEA IETS) framework, to support European knowledge exchange.
Zheng Grace Ma, Full Professor at SDU Center for Energy Informatics, emphasizes that as industrial energy systems connect to renewable electricity, district heating, storage, and digital infrastructures, energy efficiency must be understood at both the process and system level. The EERA JP EEIP community warmly welcomes SDU to drive data-driven industrial decarbonization together.
