A practical, solution-oriented approach that prioritises what actually works over what is theoretically ideal - a cultural cornerstone in the Nordic energy sector.
Definition
Pragmatism in the energy sector is about prioritising solutions that work in reality over those that are "ideally correct" on paper. The industry is characterised by high complexity, long investment horizons, and critical infrastructureSystems and facilities necessary for society's basic functions - including power supply, water systems, telecommunications, and transport. where downtime has major consequences. This drives a pragmatic culture: using proven technology, building on existing infrastructure rather than starting from scratch, and accepting that an 80% solution delivered on time is better than a 100% solution that is never completed. Pragmatism differs from sloppiness - it involves deliberate choices about prioritisation and risk management. In digitalising the electricity market, pragmatism often means: running parallel systems during migrationProcess of moving data, systems or services from one platform or environment to another., introducing changes incrementally, and accepting technical debtAccumulated costs of quick, short-term technological decisions - makes future development slower and more expensive. as a planned risk with an associated repayment plan. TvimenningOld Norse meaning 'two bound together' - one who solves a task shoulder to shoulder with another. builds its products and services on a fundamentally pragmatic philosophyWhere our thinking comes from, with the sources named rather than presented as our own.: the complexity of the energy system should not be simplified away, but made manageable.
In practice, pragmatism in the energy sector manifests when: a grid company chooses to keep an older CIS system three extra years because a migration now would clash with the AMS rollout; a supplier delivers an MVP with known deficiencies rather than delaying further; a system architect chooses SOAP integration with Elhub rather than a "clean" REST implementation because SOAP is Elhub's actual standard. For Tvimenning, pragmatism means meeting customers where they are - not where we think they should be.
In practice
In practice, pragmatism in the energy sector manifests when: a grid companyCompany that owns and operates electricity grids and is responsible for power supply to end users. chooses to keep an older CIS system three extra years because a migrationProcess of moving data, systems or services from one platform or environment to another. now would clash with the AMSAdvanced Metering and Control System - the digital electricity meter Norwegian households received from 2019, reporting consumption hourly to Elhub. rollout; a supplier delivers an MVP with known deficiencies rather than delaying further; a system architect chooses SOAPSimple Object Access Protocol - XML-based messaging protocol used in enterprise integrations, including Elhub. integration with ElhubNational hub for metering data and market processes in the Norwegian electricity market. rather than a "clean" RESTRepresentational State Transfer - architectural style for APIs based on HTTP and resource-oriented design. implementation because SOAP is Elhub's actual standard. For TvimenningOld Norse meaning 'two bound together' - one who solves a task shoulder to shoulder with another., pragmatism means meeting customers where they are - not where we think they should be.
