How can customers be part of innovation in the flexibility of energy markets?

In a bustling session that took place at the end of last month in Paris as part of Enlit Europe, the European project BeFlexible, in collaboration with the projects Enflate and Stream, organized a debate on the flexibility of energy markets that revolved around the question: “Are customers ready to embrace innovation?”. The event attracted more than 150 attendees interested in exploring the complex dynamics of the evolving energy sector.

The session featured a panel of industry experts and research centres: Fernando David Martín Utrilla from i-DE (Iberdrola group), coordinator of the BeFlexible project; Jan Jeriha, from the University of Ljubljana, coordinator of the Stream project; Katerina Drivakou, from Ubitech, coordinator of the Enflate project; and Ricardo Bessa, from Inesc Tec, the main speaker.

Enlit Europe and energy markets

As part of the Horizon Europe BeFlexible project team, I had the opportunity to moderate the session, which sparked a crucial debate on the new paradigm for energy consumers and navigated the current landscape of the electricity market after its recent transformation.

BeFlexible is a comprehensive initiative built on four key pillars. It begins with an analysis of markets and regulations with the aim of establishing a flexible framework for new business opportunities. The next step involves defining and adapting an ecosystem of services to offer diverse and flexible solutions in different sectors. Implementation includes the creation of platforms and architectures, such as the Network of Data and Business Network (GDBN), ensuring complete data interoperability. Finally, BeFlexible emphasizes customer engagement and a social co-creation approach to effectively meet consumer needs.

The focus of the debate was on the need to unlock flexibility markets, addressing critical aspects of future opportunities in the energy sector. The panel delved into topics such as barriers and motivations influencing consumer participation, platform interoperability, and evolving regulatory frameworks. The conversation also centrally recognized a paradigm shift toward smart network connectivity for consumers, with a focus on incentives, education, feedback, and support for active participation.

Fostering customer participation

Highlighting the crucial role of platforms, the panel explored the opportunities offered by various projects within EU-funded clusters. The debate also delved into regulatory challenges and proposed flexible service solutions, emphasizing the delicate balance between innovation and regulatory adaptation.

Ricardo Bessa’s key ideas focused on the challenges of fostering long-term customer participation in flexibility markets. The potential of a combination of monetary and non-monetary incentives to unlock flexibility was discussed, emphasizing the need for greater consumer information and energy literacy. The bottleneck of low-voltage networks for decarbonization was highlighted, requiring new planning and operation paradigms.

Bessa also underscored the fundamental importance of interoperability between platforms, systems, and services for rapid and profitable exploitation of flexibility. From this perspective, he emphasized the interconnected nature of the energy landscape, where seamless integration is key to unlocking its full potential.

Harmonize innovative solutions

Addressing regulatory complexities, participants highlighted the growing challenge of accommodating new distributed energy resources, roles, and business models among them. In this regard, cross-border harmonization, explicit integration of flexibility in supply security assessments, and the implementation of cost-reflective network tariffs are particularly relevant. The panel’s insights shed light on the delicate balance needed to harmonize innovative solutions with regulatory frameworks.

Thus, beyond being a platform for knowledge exchange, the event highlighted the collaborative efforts needed to shape the future of the energy landscape.