NEWS

Position Paper l Unlocking demand-side flexibility through a consumer-centric revision of the EU Electricity Market Design

Apr 17, 2023

On 14 March 2023 the European Commission proposed a revision of the EU electricity market design to boost the system integration of renewables, better protect consumers and enhance industrial competitiveness. This was deemed necessary as the result of price spikes occurring since the end of 2021 and throughout 2022 due to economic growth after the global pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

The EU legislative proposal to revise both the Electricity Directive and Regulation introduced in 2019 does not undermine the fundamentals of the EU electricity market design, but further complements them with a wide variety of measures to empower consumers and reward them for being flexible in their consumption.

This Position Paper is addressed to EU co-legislators (European Parliament and Council) to outline smartEn recommendations on how to improve the following key provisions included in the proposal by the European Commission.

More NEWS

  • smartEn together with 6 stakeholder organizations and drafting committee members, welcome the new network code proposed by ENTSO-E and the EU DSO Entity. This code is essential for supporting decarbonization and enhancing Europe’s energy security by enabling distributed energy resources (DERs) and demand response. The new code aims to remove the market access barriers, ensuring broad market participation and facilitating market-based procurement of flexibility services. We thank all involved in drafting this proposal and emphasize the need for effective, harmonized, and forward-looking regulations to promote a secure, efficient, and decentralized energy system.

  • Making better use of the grids thanks to the contribution of existing and future connected flexible consumers is an efficient approach to tackle urgently the congestion challenge. The Flexible Demand Management Industry that smartEn represents can empower grid users, i.e. grid connected buildings, industries and electric vehicles, to play an active role in supporting an efficient and smart operation of grids. However, grids must be incentivised to use the flexibility of connected consumers, as already prescribed by EU laws. To support this effort, this paper: Sets out six strategic recommendations for the smart operation of grids which should guide the efficient delivery of the EU Grids Action Plan. Lays the groundwork for a dedicated EU Strategy on Grid Congestion which the new Commission should develop to deliver the European Green Deal by 2030. Such a strategy should foster harmonised approaches to tackle grid congestion issues across the EU, without waiting for lengthy network reinforcement, by harnessing the potential of connected, flexible consumers.

  • The Flexible Demand Management Industry provides solutions to all consumers – citizens, businesses, buildings, electric vehicles (EVs) and industries – to become flexible and be rewarded for playing an active role in the clean energy transition. As such, it needs to be fully recognised as a crucial clean-tech industry in Europe. But as the Flexible Demand Management Industry is very heterogeneous, it is often not easy for it to be identified as a specific industrial base and its significant contribution tends to be overlooked. This is a major gap to fill. This paper intends to inform this effort by answering these 3 questions:  What is the Flexible Demand Management Industry and what are the solutions offered?  Why the Flexible Demand Management Industry matters ?  What is needed in the next EU legislature for the Flexible Demand Management Industry to rightfully become a solid pillar of Europe’s decarbonised economy?

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