As industrial parks and the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located there in Europe step up their efforts toward the energy transition, one challenge is becoming increasingly apparent: choosing the right energy management system (EMS). EMS not only provide a highly granular and time-resolved view of energy consumption, but also track the generation output of renewable energy sources and the capacity trends of storage systems. In addition, they enable intelligent control of storage systems and coordination of loads.
Although digital energy management is considered a crucial factor for increasing efficiency, integrating renewable energy, and reducing costs, SMEs or even entire industrial parks find themselves confronted with a rapidly growing and extremely diverse EMS market. The GEMS project has therefore compiled an overview of selection criteria. This article is intended in particular to encourage SMEs to decide to implement an energy management system and to assist them in selecting the appropriate software.
As part of the Interreg project GEMS - Green Energy Management Systems for Business Parks partners from various countries in Northwestern Europe are helping business parks navigate this complexity and find solutions that align with their technical, operational, and sustainability goals. Since the project is being carried out as part of the Interreg NWE (Northwest Europe) funding program, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, and France are comparing their experiences and approaches in order to learn from one another.
GEMS was launched to support business parks in developing and implementing smart energy management solutions. This is because the increasing electrification of transportation, heating, and industrial processes in Europe is placing growing pressure on local power grids. At the same time, renewable energy generation is becoming increasingly decentralized and variable. Against this backdrop, energy management systems are evolving into a crucial component of future smart energy systems, helping organizations better understand, predict, and optimize their energy consumption.
A Growing Market with Increasing Complexity
Choosing an energy management system (EMS) is anything but a simple decision. Today’s market offers a wide range of providers, ranging from simple energy monitoring tools to highly sophisticated platforms. Although many solutions appear similar at first glance, they often differ significantly in terms of functionality, hardware compatibility, data requirements, scalability, and regulatory compliance. As a result, companies often struggle to determine which system best meets their specific needs.
At GEMS, understanding these requirements is seen as a crucial first step. Companies must clarify what they hope to achieve with an energy management system, who will use it, whether data should be stored locally or in the cloud, and how the system can be integrated into their existing infrastructure. They must also consider reporting obligations, cybersecurity requirements, future expansion plans, and whether energy data should merely be monitored or actively used to optimize operations. For companies aiming to meet global energy management standards such as ISO 50001, these considerations become even more important. In addition to monitoring and reporting functions, many organisations require support with audits, the traceability of changes and the management of energy efficiency indicators in order to streamline certification and compliance processes.
From monitoring to smart energy management
A key finding of the GEMS project is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Whilst some organisations benefit from simple monitoring systems that increase transparency and highlight efficiency potential, others require advanced EMS platforms that integrate renewable energy generation, battery storage, charging infrastructure for electric vehicles and demand response functions. The software must therefore be tailored to the specific strategic, technical, economic and process-related conditions of each individual facility. This also means that when procuring energy management software, it must be selected on a case-by-case basis, as such software varies in terms of features and functionality.
In Germany, Ireland, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, GEMS pilot projects are testing how these systems can support shared energy use, improve the flexibility of electricity demand and make more efficient use of available grid capacity. Digital twins are also being developed at several sites to gain deeper insights into energy flows, and to enable optimised control and data-driven investment decisions.
In Germany, the pilot site is the FiDT Technology and Start-up Centre in Kassel. Here, the partners – the Kassel Region Economic Development Agency, TU Darmstadt and House of Energy – are working together to implement and test a digital energy management solution. The energy management system is being implemented by the provider Folivora Solutions. The experience gained from these pilot projects will help to develop scalable approaches that can be rolled out to industrial estates across north-western Europe.
By helping industrial estates understand their requirements, compare available solutions and implement practical energy management strategies, the GEMS project lays the foundation for smarter local energy systems.
Finding the right solution
To support this process, the GEMS partners (in Germany) highlight the ‘EMS Finder’ tool from KEDi (Competence Centre for Energy Efficiency through Digitalisation). The online platform helps organisations define their priorities and translate these into clear system requirements before they contact providers. Whilst the “EMS Finder” focuses primarily on the German market, the database mainly lists providers who offer support in German and comply with the legal framework in Germany. However, many of the approximately 400 programmes listed are cloud-based SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solutions that operate independently of any specific platform abroad and are often available in multiple languages.
The EMS Finder helps businesses evaluate key aspects such as data storage preferences, reporting requirements, procurement models, user accessibility and integration requirements. It also helps to identify desired features, including automated notifications, intuitive dashboards, visualisations of energy flows, real-time monitoring and energy forecasts.
Rather than starting with a list of providers, users first define their own objectives and operational requirements. This structured approach makes it easier to compare different solutions, draw up a shortlist of suitable providers and helps to avoid investing in systems that are either unnecessarily complex or inadequate for future requirements.