The energy crisis has caused energy prices to increase tenfold throughout Europe. It’s impossible to escape the constant stream of news on this subject. Among other effects, the energy crisis is putting pressure on many national consumer protection mechanisms. It increases price volatility, increases financial strain and pushes energy companies to rethink their offering. As a result, retail and SME utility offers are becoming increasingly based on variable rates, instead of fixed rates.

However, this evolution also presents a big opportunity. In every crisis, there are winners and there are losers. Those actors that can adapt to this new situation will ultimately be able to make the most out of it. For consumers, this means having the ability to consume when prices are low, for instance for electric heating or car charging.  Having access to accurate and reliable market price data, along with near real-time monitoring and control data for various devices, will put you in the best position to do just that. This is where the re.alto marketplace and re.alto Connect come in! 

Forward and daily spot market prices are of great importance for all players active in energy. Energy is always traded on these prices, directly or indirectly, and better knowledge of this data allows you to challenge the prices quoted when buying or selling electricity. Yet many SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) do not have access to this data or are reliant on unreliable public sources. The market prices are easily accessible for large industrial clients that directly trade on the wholesale markets, but many smaller players cannot or do not want to trade themselves and, as a result, access to price data does not come cheap. There are, however, alternative suppliers on the re.alto platform that can offer a wide range of market price indices at low cost. Level the playing field today! We’re able to offer market data through many of the providers on our marketplace for less than a trading membership. Data sets that you can readily start using today include Energy Quantified, EnergyMarketPrice and EpexSpot. Reach out to us if you want help selecting the right provider for your needs.

Knowledge of market prices is a good first step in keeping ahead of the game, but even greater financial benefits lie in knowing in real-time what your devices are doing and in possessing the ability to actively steer those devices in real-time. Volatile prices can be challenging but they also present the opportunity to exploit the current situation to your advantage, for example by ensuring your vehicle always charges when prices are at their lowest. Where connectivity is essential for device optimisation, you can now get this connectivity through re.alto’s Connect solutions. Connect reduces complexity, is completely cloud-based, offers assetless connectivity and even avoids vendor lock-in. re.alto Connect is currently available for electric vehicles, pv installations and smart meters. 

Who is this valuable for? Market data is incredibly valuable to consumers and small to medium-sized electricity producers. Access to market prices helps them level the playing field when dealing in or renegotiating PPAs (Power Purchase Agreements) or supply contracts. Notable producers that make use of this data today are owners of renewable production installations, such as solar or wind farms. re.alto’s Connect solutions are valuable to anyone wanting to save or make money and have more control over their devices in real-time, including fleet managers, installation owners, energy utilities, leasing companies and traders, along with anyone wanting to offer Energy-as-a-Service who is looking for the supporting IT platforms. 

Browse the re.alto API marketplace now or get in touch for more information on how re.alto Connect can benefit you.