Josef Kotrba: Behind Inventions' portfolio companies will be at the epicentre of the action next year

What did 2023 teach you?

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For me personally, 2023 was very new - after a quarter of a century spent in big companies, I started to learn to live with a slightly more complex calendar. Due to a busy season in energy policy, I was mostly consumed by my work at the Czech Gas Association, so I had limited time for co-investments with my partners at Behind Inventions. But I look forward to carving out a lot more space for them next year, as some of them - FLOWBOX, for example - are right at the epicenter of the action and will definitely be there for years to come.

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What do you think awaits us in 2024 in the energy sector?

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Compared to the previous two years - especially the winter of 2022/23 - we should expect much less adrenaline, but we cannot count on a return to pre-war conditions. And not just next year, but never. ‍

While fossil fuels are becoming more expensive, both because of the need to move away from dependence on Russia and because of allowances aimed at reducing CO₂ production, the strengthening of renewables will not be without its impact on costs. Although these have low variable costs, they will require large investments in the grid and in ensuring the balance of the system. ‍

I therefore recommend that both businesses and households continue their efforts to reduce energy intensity. It is not only our own consumption and generation that is important, and this is now influencing a growing number of households, but also how much capacity we block on the grid - for the household in the form of circuit breaker choice.‍

The proposal discussed years ago to give more weight to the strength of circuit breakers in setting the distribution charge is likely to resurface. More adrenaline is to come in the development of energy concepts, not only at the level of the state but also at the level of companies. ‍

Because we are aiming at a moving target - we have to adapt, but the whole environment is changing too, so it is important not to "miss". Indeed, how we decide in the next few years and what we are able to implement will co-determine our prosperity for decades to come.

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And how did the AI portray this prediction?