Entrepreneur, visionary, and pilot Tomáš Rendla believes that cities and companies can function well while sustainably using natural resources and people's time. He strives to contribute to this both in his personal life and professionally. His hobby is gliding, which closely relates to the principles he recommends in his profession. The company Flowbox, which he leads, aims to teach the world to naturally manage energy resources.
You love nature, yet your company has made a breakthrough with energy management software.
I love both. Modern technologies in all fields I encounter in life, as well as a respectful approach to the planet. In many cases, I was one of the first customers of companies that introduced interesting modern technologies to the market. I am always fascinated by people's ability to push boundaries and especially to combine various solutions to achieve goals or produce products that others only talk about. And that's exactly what we do at Flowbox. We are here not only for companies but also for entire communities, municipalities, schools...
How do you manage to combine your fascination with modern technologies and nature?
Nature itself is something absolutely genius and breathtaking, which we often miss in our hectic world. One of my hobbies is gliding, which involves a pilot's ability to use the sun and nature's energy without using a propulsion source. The fact that we can fly hundreds to thousands of kilometers in one flight solely thanks to the movement of air masses caused by solar radiation or wind is, for me, just proof that we could do many things more efficiently.
So, do we need to be stewards to ensure we don't run out of energy and aren't left stranded?
Energy is all around us; it's just about managing it wisely. I advocate for the strategy that the cleanest energy is the one not produced. I think we need to constantly find a balance between what we really need to produce and what we can naturally draw from our surroundings, including energy from people or the sun shining through our windows.
Energy from people?
In one of the schools where our system helps manage energy, we actively work with the heat that students bring into the school. We have tested that their presence increases the temperature by 2-3 degrees during the first lesson without having to heat.
And what about during exams?
Yes, then it definitely rises more. But seriously, with a higher number of students in the classroom, the concentration of carbon dioxide naturally increases alongside the temperature. This increases fatigue, reduces concentration and performance, and that needs to be addressed too. But I would be digressing. In any case, the number of people in the building and its changes must be considered. This parameter is just one of many input data points.
But there are already systems for that, right?
Only a few buildings have a so-called Building Management System, even when considering modern buildings. Such a system controls lighting, elevators, shading of the building, and the distribution of heat and cold throughout the building. However, these systems are not sophisticated enough to work with all the inputs that need to be considered. This includes current energy prices and availability or the real-time carbon footprint of the energy. We are trying to change that and help companies and municipalities with it.
How do you do it?
Using communication protocols, we connect all technologies and systems in the building – from heat and cold production, lighting, to energy sources like photovoltaics, heat pumps, and similar – into a sort of "central brain." Based on a wide range of inputs, including current and historical data, algorithms, and various predictions, such as the current and planned presence of people and the nature of their activities.
What are the most common mistakes in this regard?
It often happens that a building heats and cools at the same time due to two separate systems instead of a functional whole. The individual parts simply do not communicate.
Or take companies that switched to a model where people work from home one day a week post-COVID. They have the opportunity to save some costs. But this doesn't happen; systems run the same as on a day when the office is full. Conversely, there are organizations or households that turn off heating or cooling completely, but the subsequent restart is more energy-intensive. There's more to it.
Is it true that more energy is consumed in summer than in winter?
Yes, it happens that up to 60% of the annual energy consumption goes to cooling the building. This is especially true for modern glass buildings. Here too, data and common sense can help. For example, we can use the building's position relative to the cardinal directions, accumulate heat from the sun, and generally work with the energy around us more efficiently. It is no longer science fiction to shift energy consumption over time, store its surpluses for later, and similar strategies.
As an active pilot, you must have heard about the intention to close the Letňany airport, and people have even started a petition to save it...
I understand that progress cannot be stopped and that one day this airport will probably have to give way to city development. However, I believe that this won't happen for some time, or at least it shouldn't. Letňany has great potential elsewhere. What good steward would remove recreational or green areas before utilizing industrial lands? So, I assume the city will first develop dozens of hectares left by Avia. When this area opens to the public, the natural "flow" of energy in the local community will strengthen. From an ecological perspective, it's high time that brownfield started to be cleaned. Logically, it should have happened long ago for the good of all.
But would the airport's demise sadden you?
As a pilot, I say there are never enough places to fly from and to. Letňany Airport is also one of the oldest in the Czech Republic, so there's nostalgia. Until recently, this area was protected for its specific biotope. So yes, it's an idea one has to get used to. And as I say, priorities need to be set and things done logically and in order. Returning to the brownfield: as a proponent of sustainable living, I don't like throwing away things that can be repaired. It's the same with land. When it wears out and gets a little dirty, why not fix it up and give it a new life? And only when it is really necessary can undeveloped areas be used.
Tomáš Rendla is an entrepreneur, visionary, and glider pilot. His children have also fallen in love with gliding, and this year, they are organizing the European Gliding Championships together. The principles of gliding are also honored by Tomáš's company Flowbox, which developed a software platform for controlled energy management. It integrates all technologies that produce and consume energy, whether electricity, gas, water, heat, or special gases, into one environment and ensures their "orchestration." The company boasts the European Startup of the Year 2022 award and other accolades.
This article was published in the Magazine Čtvrťák and the interview was conducted by Hana Hejsková.
https://ctvrtak.cz/letnany/tomas-rendla-nejcistsi-energie-je-ta-co-se-nevyrobi/