A new edition of the European Market Monitor for Demand-Side Flexibility (DSF) was presented today by smartEn, the European business association integrating the consumer-driven solutions of the clean energy transition, and Delta-EE, a specialist in energy research and consulting service provider.
The report provides a summary of the current state of DSF and highlights the emerging opportunities across 30 European markets. It also assesses each market on regulatory progress to enable DSF, the development of local flexibility and energy communities, the potential market size of flexibility and its future developments. Overall, the report concludes that participation of DSF is developing, but significant progress is required, particularly in residential and local flexibility markets.
The key takeaways of the 2021 European Market Monitor for DSF are the following:
- Spain, France, Great Britain, Germany and Italy account for roughly 60% of the total value of ancillary services, but are not necessarily open to DSF;
- The majority of countries still need significant improvements to meet the obligations set out in the Electricity Market Design;
- Greece and Poland are countries to watch for emerging potential as their flexibility markets open, while Italy and Spain have open markets yet limited participation;
- While having more developed markets, Great Britain, Germany and France are likely to grow further.
The report was presented today by the lead authors Jon Ferris (Delta-EE), Lucinda Murley (Delta-EE), Andrés Pinto-Bello Gómez (smartEn) and Cinzia Alberti Mazzaferro (smartEn).
During the presentation of the report, Michael Villa, smartEn Executive Director, highlighted: “If we are to achieve cost-effectively the 2030 targets set out in the EU Fit for 55 package , the maximisation of the value of consumers’ flexibility will be required, whether from electric vehicles, smart buildings and industries. We are not yet where we need to be to fully exploit the benefits of demand-side flexibility”.
Jon Ferris, Delta-EE Head of Flexibility and Storage research, stressed: “The existing value streams are only gradually being opened, and new products launched to enable demand side flexibility, storage and aggregation. The value of flexibility has increased with wholesale price rises, but demand-side flexibility could have played a much greater role in mitigating the costs to consumers”.
The Market Monitor is based on extensive primary and secondary research focusing on all 27 EU countries, Great Britain, Norway and Switzerland. An extended version is available to smartEn members and Delta-EE subscribers, which includes detailed profiles of 12 of those countries.
You can download the report here.
