For over five decades, the energy sector has witnessed the transition to becoming green and digitised at a blistering pace. Moreover, the mobility, energy and security sectors have experienced drastic changes in technologies and processes. While many technologies, processes and skills span a broader range of applications, the boundaries between these sectors have blurred, leading to convergence tailwinds—a trend that has accelerated lately. For instance, one can consider the increasingly evident interrelation between mobility and energy in the form of electromobility that deals with climate emergency challenges. On the other hand, this convergence is also demonstrated in the rising need to protect the systems that manage our critical infrastructures, such as energy or transport, in an increasingly digitalised world.

Evidently, the world is gearing up for mobility that is 100 per cent electric—an energy mix based mainly on renewable energy or a smart grid in which distributed green generation plays a fundamental role. Set against this rapidly changing backdrop, there is one high value-added technological solution provider—in the mobility, energy, and security landscape— that has stood the test of time. Since the 1970s, ETRA GROUP has continuously innovated, developing and incorporating the necessary capacities to grow steadily and maintain a leadership position at the service of its clients. As a critical player in advancing electromobility, ETRA leads the market with its electric vehicle charging infrastructure management systems. The company also specialises in secure systems—both physical and cyber—that ensure that the vital energy or mobility services are not interrupted. “The energy sector has undergone a dramatic ETRA GROUP At the Confluence of Mobility, Energy and Security SMART ENERGY TOP 10 SOLUTION PROVIDERS - 2021 evolution over the last two decades.

From monolithic systems with very specific functionalities, we have moved to an environment where new players are proliferating and demanding more intelligent, open and interoperable systems. At ETRA, we have been working on developing technological solutions for the energy sector since the 1980s, helping clients with the energy and digital transitions for more than 30 years,” begins Jesús Manzano del Pozo, CEO of ETRA GROUP.

ETRA is singularly focused on providing technological solutions that make it possible to reconcile energy efficiency, cost reduction, respect for the environment and improve the quality of life of citizens. From intelligent public lighting systems to smart city solutions specialized in energy efficiency, through intelligent building management and facility management, ETRA offers turnkey solutions that meet any need within this market. In line with the increasing demand for distributed generation based on renewables and self-consumption and the need to allow bidirectional flows in a distribution network or a microgrid, ETRA has developed the ETER platform that can control, manage and monitor the electrical grid, thus boosting its flexibility, stability and security. ETER has been specifically designed to help operators of distribution networks or microgrids, facilitating their work of providing green and quality energy to the citizens they serve. ETRA’s complete range of comprehensive products and services for mobility covers the entire value chain, from R&D and technological innovation, through engineering, project development, integration and implementation of solutions, conservation and their maintenance and even the outsourcing of the management and operation of turnkey solutions.

ETRA’s expert and effective efforts to improve people’s quality of life and profitability in the use of resources stems from its intense activity in R + D + I projects in smart technologies —according to EU indicators, the company ranks among the top 1 percent most innovative companies in Europe, —which allows the Smart City Center of Excellence to create new trends, solve specific problems of its clients and collaborate with the most advanced companies and research centres in the context of the framework research and innovation programs of the European Union.
Besides, the company also marks its uniqueness in the market through its unmatched industry experience, deep knowhow, and expertise in its areas of activity, which are leveraged to empower clients with customised solutions that adapt to their particular requirements and grow and evolve with their needs. “This allows us to offer solutions for all actors along the entire energy value chain: from renewable generation to transport, distribution, commercialisation and active consumption,” adds Manzano. This high level of customisation is also achieved through the expertise of highly qualified personnel that form ETRA’s core team and ensure that electronic equipment is designed, manufactured and verified using quality standards and customisation. From engineering to civil works, through communications networks or any project requirement, ETRA addresses and solves diverse needs comprehensively. Apart from engineering, manufacturing, and installing turnkey solutions, ETRA also provides comprehensive maintenance services, eliminating the clients’ administrative burden.

In its more than 40 years of business experience, ETRA has been committed to supporting the entire value chain through its solutions and services. The vocation of customer service characterises this wide range of services and strategic values, which could be summarised in solid management of the knowledge obtained through experience, the mutual trust achieved with clients and the commitment to service to society. With such a comprehensive suite of solutions and services, ETRA provides and manages technology for more than 10.000 road intersections, 25,000 public transport vehicles and more than 1,000,000 points of light in cities, roads, ports, tunnels, etc. in Europe and Latin America.

Scripting similar success stories for its clients, ETRA has no plans of slowing down in the days to come. Despite the slew of changes brought about the COVID-19, ETRA is one of the few companies that have fared well amid this disruption. “At an internal level, our first priority has been to ensure the health of our employees, customers and partners. In fact, we were one of the first companies in Spain to obtain the AENOR anti COVID-19 certificate,” says Manzano. “From a more general perspective, we have seen how the current health crisis has highlighted the need to accelerate two transitions that are essential to ensure our future as a society: energy and digital. For example, we have seen the need to continue to promote energy self-consumption systems, shared self-consumption in particular. On the one hand, this increases the resilience of the grid and, on the other, reduces emissions, which is essential in the context of a pandemic that affects particularly people’s respiratory systems.”

Besides addressing the need for a green and digitised energy sector, ETRA is prepared to respond to the upcoming challenge of large-scale storage, which will undoubtedly serve to make everything else possible and the mass adoption of green hydrogen. This year, an international consortium of 40 organisations, led by ETRA, launched an ambitious initiative— ORANGE.BAT—to incorporate green hydrogen into the ceramic industry in Europe. “When we look ahead, we at ETRA are working with renewed enthusiasm, aware that, now more than ever, our mission to transform the most innovative technology into services for people and society is going to change the world,” concludes Manzano.