Discovery Green, a unit of South African financial services group Discovery, has launched EnergyOS, a proprietary operating system designed to help businesses manage the financial and operational risks tied to renewable-energy procurement. The system combines forecasts for renewable generation, electricity demand and market prices to help companies improve savings while controlling exposure to volatile conditions.

The launch comes as corporate demand for renewable power grows in South Africa, where securing electricity is increasingly only the first step. Wind and solar output can vary, while consumption patterns and market prices change over time. Discovery Green says those factors can materially alter the financial returns businesses expect from renewable-energy contracts.

Discovery Green’s research found annual savings from renewable-energy procurement can vary by as much as 35% in either direction for wind generation and 19% for solar. In some scenarios, expected savings can turn into losses, underscoring the difficulty of balancing lower emissions, cost savings and financial risk in one energy strategy.

Managing renewable risk

Discovery Green calls the challenge a renewable-energy trilemma: businesses want to maximize savings, cut emissions and limit financial risk at the same time. Traditional procurement has focused largely on securing an electricity volume at an attractive starting price, but the company says that approach can overlook what happens after generation meets changing demand and market conditions.

EnergyOS addresses that gap by combining forecasts with business-specific requirements and energy-allocation capabilities. Its EnergyAI system creates a continuous feedback loop, allowing forecasts and allocations to change as new information arrives. Rather than relying on one expected outcome, the platform models a broad range of possible generation, consumption and market scenarios.

Testing millions of scenarios

Discovery Green says EnergyOS has been tested against more than 10,000 consumption simulations, 87 million generation simulations and more than 200,000 future market price points. Based on those simulations, the company reports an average 88% reduction in risk and a 105% increase in savings compared with traditional procurement approaches, alongside a 90% reduction in electricity emissions.

“Many businesses typically assess renewable energy procurement based on its price and quantity, treating it as a commodity in a stable world,” Andre Nepgen, CEO of Discovery Green, said. “The real measure of success is whether that energy delivers sustained savings, manageable risk and meaningful emissions reductions across a wide range of potential futures.”

An actuarial approach

The platform draws on risk-management and modeling capabilities developed within Discovery, which has applied actuarial methods across its financial services businesses. Dan Ginsberg, head of actuarial and research and development at Discovery Green, said renewable markets present similar challenges because generation, demand and future prices cannot be predicted with certainty.

EnergyOS considers millions of potential generation outcomes alongside thousands of consumption patterns and future market prices, producing a distribution of possible results rather than a single projection. Its customization model then incorporates each customer’s requirements and risk appetite, while the allocation model determines how renewable energy can be distributed across a business portfolio.

The system is intended to support a more active approach to renewable procurement as South African companies gain access to more wind and solar power. Discovery Green says better risk management could strengthen the financial case for renewable energy, encouraging businesses to increase purchases while reducing emissions.

EnergyOS backs expansion

Discovery Green plans to use EnergyOS as the foundation of its offering to new business customers and expects to migrate existing clients to the platform during 2026. The company says the system is intended to turn renewable energy from a commodity purchase into a managed solution built around forecasting, customisation and portfolio allocation.

Discovery, founded in 1992 by Adrian Gore and Barry Swartzberg as a medical insurer, has expanded into healthcare, life assurance, short-term insurance, banking, savings and investment and wellness. Discovery Green draws on the group’s actuarial capabilities as it seeks to help businesses replace up to 90% of their electricity demand with affordable, price-certain renewable energy.