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September 18, 2025 | From iRet

Seamless Integration of Software and Hardware Drives Energy Transformation

At the iVPP Forum, ICP General Manager Lawton Liao (left) and Siemens Taiwan General Manager Fabian Bergeron (right) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on-site, marking the beginning of a strategic partnership to co-develop an innovative Virtual Power Plant Energy-as-a-Service platform — VPP × EaaS. Photo: StrategyWind Knowledge News Network

While global information flows freely and reshapes the world beyond physical boundaries, energy remains confined within outdated frameworks. To address this bottleneck in energy transition, ICP (Intelligent Cloud Power) hosted the iVPP Multi-Scenario Application Forum yesterday (October 17) at the Hanlai Hotel in Taipei. During the event, ICP and Siemens signed a strategic MoU to jointly develop a cutting-edge Virtual Power Plant Energy-as-a-Service platform (VPP × EaaS).

ICP General Manager Lawton Liao stated that the core goal of this collaboration is to transform enterprises’ passive electricity expenditures into active green revenue and sustainable competitiveness. Siemens Taiwan General Manager Fabian Bergeron expressed confidence that through deep integration of software and hardware with ICP, the partnership will set a new standard for Taiwan’s energy market and lead the shift toward a new energy paradigm. The forum attracted over 100 experts from industry, government, academia, and research sectors to explore new pathways for Taiwan’s energy transition.

Dual Pressure of Net-Zero Goals Elevates the Role of Virtual Power Plants

Deputy Director-General of the Energy Administration, Chih-Wei Wu, emphasized that virtual power plants (VPPs) play a critical role in integrating renewable energy and enhancing grid resilience. The government will continue to promote electricity market reform and smart grid development, creating a more supportive environment for enterprises to adopt innovative solutions like iVPP. Given the importance of energy security to the nation, he welcomed the active participation of industry players.

At the event, Deputy Director Wu shared the policy blueprint for virtual power plants and the resilience-oriented design of related policies.Photo: StrategyWind Knowledge News Network

PricewaterhouseCoopers Executive Director Chia-Hung Chang pointed out that companies today face dual pressures. Under global supply chain requirements, effective carbon management and ESG governance are no longer optional enhancements — they have become critical indicators for corporate survival.

iVPP Intelligence Joins Forces with Siemens to Solve Cross-Generational Challenges

With a clear policy roadmap and strong market demand, ICP officially unveiled the core logic behind its solution yesterday. General Manager Lawton Liao stated that the key to solving this generational challenge lies in enabling energy to flow freely and intelligently — just like information — beyond physical constraints. This is precisely the core mission of ICP’s intelligent cloud-based Virtual Power Plant platform, iVPP.

To accelerate the realization of this vision, ICP has formed a strategic alliance with Siemens. Leveraging ICP’s deep expertise in AI-powered energy management software and its rich experience in local market operations, combined with Siemens’ world-class hardware capabilities, the two companies will jointly develop an Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) business model. This model will help enterprises aggregate energy assets into virtual power plants, participate in grid services, and generate stable revenue.

At the iVPP Multi-Scenario Application Forum hosted by ICP, experts from industry, government, academia, and research gathered to explore the future of energy.From left to right in the photo: Prof. Chih-Yang Lin (Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Central University), PwC Executive Director Chia-Hung Chang, Taiwan Power Industry Association Chairman Gary Ou, Siemens Taiwan General Manager Fabian Bergeron, ICP General Manager Lawton Liao, Deputy Director of Engineering Division at NSTC Ching Kuo, ICP Vice President of Operations Jacky Chang, and Sales Manager Pei-Jung Wu.Photo: StrategyWind Knowledge News Network

Lawton Liao explained that the ICP iVPP platform offers a comprehensive solution across four key areas: energy saving, energy storage, energy generation, and energy procurement. Starting with power audits at factory sites to optimize energy efficiency, the platform integrates storage and renewable energy for smart dispatching, seamlessly connecting to the electricity trading market to generate revenue. Moreover, when a company’s own green energy supply is insufficient, the platform can integrate green power trading services to ensure a stable supply — becoming the strongest support for enterprises aiming to achieve RE100 goals.

Beyond Theory: iVPP Delivers Impressive Results at Home and Abroad

Professor Chih-Yang Lin from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at National Central University analyzed the technology behind microgrids, highlighting their ability to combine renewable energy, energy storage, and intelligent control. He emphasized that microgrids not only enhance energy autonomy for enterprises but also support critical facilities — such as hospitals and data centers — during major blackouts through islanding capabilities. Lin stressed that collaboration across industry, government, academia, and research is essential to achieving the 2050 net-zero goal and establishing a solid technological foundation.

Smart energy management has emerged as a mature solution balancing operations and sustainability. Yi-Kuang Chen, General Manager of Taichi Energy Technology, shared the example of their Vietnam plant, where the implementation of a microgrid management system and AI-driven peak shaving strategies resulted in daily electricity savings of 15–20%, shortening the investment payback period to around six years. In Taiwan, Wei Wei, Vice President of Hanmen Technology, shared how they helped a food industry client deploy a facility energy management system, reducing peak contract capacity costs by over 15% while ensuring production line stability.

Industry representatives were invited to share their iVPP implementation results.
From left to right in the photo: Eagle Energy CEO Chi-Ho Fu, Hanmen Technology VP Wei Wei, ICP VP of Operations Jacky Chang, and Taichi Energy Technology GM Yi-Kuang Chen.Photo: StrategyWind Knowledge News Network

Chi-Ho Fu, CEO of Eagle Energy in Thailand, showcased their achievement of building 450MW of plant capacity using solar O&M management systems and AI-powered predictive maintenance. These efforts have successfully reduced operational costs while improving power generation stability and profitability — demonstrating the global export potential of Taiwan’s smart energy technologies.

Gaining a Sustainable Edge: Advocating for an Energy Informatization Revolution

Jacky Chang, Vice President of Operations at ICP, emphasized that the value of the iVPP platform lies not only in helping enterprises achieve cost reduction, energy savings, and emissions reduction through real-time energy dispatch and intelligent management, but also in enhancing the flexible use of renewable energy. The platform improves the efficiency of green power certificate and carbon credit management, ultimately accelerating corporate net-zero transformation and giving businesses a competitive edge in sustainability.

Lawton Liao added that ICP will continue to deepen the diverse applications of the iVPP platform and collaborate with more industry partners to accelerate energy transition and sustainable development. The goal is to help enterprises overcome net-zero challenges and lead the revolution toward energy informatization.