3FOOD

Third Industrial Revolution Consulting Group
reimagination of Luxembourg’s fundamental infrastructure components; communication,
energy, mobility, buildings – all are now subject for a digital transformation. The potential of
such application is considerable. For instance, initial assessment reveals a nationwide €5.8
billion self-financing investment opportunity in building energy efficiency and rooftop solar
energy alone. Similar investment levels could be applied in other sectors of the economy.
Indeed, Cisco reports that the digital transformation may drive “US $1.3 trillion of value at stake
in the financial services industry.” This, in turn, can facilitate many other major investments and
market transactions that will benefit the economy as a result of lower costs of energy
services. 198
Future data management and digital technology infrastructure are positioned as key
components of the transition to a TIR economy. Intelligent linking of the various technologies
(e.g., microfinancing, blockchain, crowdfunding, digitalization of infrastructure) can accrue
knock-on benefits that accelerate the TIR transition. For instance, energy efficiency efforts can
benefit from technologies that allow for real-time, digitalized data production regarding energy
consumption and precise calculation of avoided energy use through energy conservation
measures. Real-time data can, for example, pin-point peak shaving opportunities, harvest
additional energy savings, ensure investor confidence due to enhanced data analytics, and
diagnose any potential energy saving shortfalls. 199 As such, data could both enable savings and
automate the measurement of actual whole-building energy savings across a portfolio of
aggregated end-users. A big part of the promise of the new approach is its power in scale and
precision.
The maturation of the Internet has also spawned innovative new funding mechanisms including
crowd funding and micro currencies. With crowd funding, originators of a project put their plan
up on a site and pick a deadline by which the necessary funds have to be raised. If the goal is
not reached by this deadline, no funds are collected. This provision ensures that the project has
enough financing to at least make a go of the venture. Various crowdfunding platforms offer
different forms of compensation. Donors can either pledge funds as gifts or receive the
comparable value of the funds extended to the borrower in the form of goods or services once
the project is up and running, or provide funds as a straight loan with interest, or invest in the
project in return for equal shares. Crowdfunding enthusiasts emphasize that it’s not about the
money. They enjoy being intimately involved with helping others pursue their dreams and feel
that their small contribution packs a wallop—that it really counts in moving a project forward.
198 See: Cisco White Paper. 2015. Seizing Opportunity in the New Age of Financial Services.
http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/products/collateral/security/financial-services.pdf
199 Rogers, E., Carley, E., Deo, S., & Grossberg, F. (2015). How Information and Communications Technologies Will
Change the Evaluation, Measurement, and Verification of Energy Efficiency Programs. Washington, DC: American
Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE).
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