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sensing in the annex solar plant, and high-performing solar
power prediction intelligent agents added. This allowed pro-
duction for stock to be activated whenever a surplus of solar
energy was predicted, while in times of energy insufficiency
the stock would compensate the reduced production.
Bottomline: the evaluation of savings in the energy
costs of adding a 4th daily manufacturing shift led to estimated
value of about 30% in savings, with an increased local use of
solar power.

No complete response without human factors considered

It goes without saying that the human being should not be for-
gotten as the centrepiece of all activity – and all change.
To face the daunting threat of climate change and ad-
dress the global energy challenges, the Industry 4.0 paradigm
may become a useful tool – or weapon. The pervasive sensing
embedded in the concept, leading to massive data collection,
digital twinning and knowledge extraction, must be compoun-
ded with the human factor: the behavioural response to the
environment. To obtain a desired response, one must create
therefore an adequate surrounding of circumstances and sti-
muli, otherwise decisions will favour options detrimental to the
response to the energy global problem.
The first and fundamental problem in decision-making,
regarding the global energy problem and planet protection is
that one must rely in a multitude of local decisions, while the
result is global and its direct connection to a perceived local
positive gain is, in many cases, remote, absent or even coun-
ter-displaying negative effects. This opposition between global
gain and individual agent perceived loss is virtually impossible
to overcome, unless perceptions are changed.
If global consequences are a result of the actions of a
multitude of individual agents, policies should be seen as ad-
dressing a context of negotiation – where each agent has his
own decision criteria, which may not even be shared by other

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