BeFlexible made a powerful return to ENLIT Europe 2024 in Milan, which took place from October 22 to 24, leading a pivotal cluster session that gathered industry leaders to discuss the future of energy in Europe

The session held the October 23 featured prominent industry voices collaborating with BeFlexible, including representatives from our cluster projects ENFLATE and STREAM, each bringing their expertise to the table. This edition included the invaluable participation of Charles Esser, Secretary General of E.DSO, who delivered an insightful keynote speech to kick off the panel discussion titled “Rethinking flexibility markets: What’s the secret to navigating regulatory challenges and customer needs?”.

Discussions among panelists covered key topics, such as regulation—highlighting the challenges faced by Distribution System Operators (DSOs) and flexibility providers. Investment strategies were also explored to improve grid adaptability, along with the impact of digitalization and Data Spaces on grid optimization.

 

Click here to find out more about BeFlexible’s participation at Enlit 2024.

 

The annual BRIDGE General Assembly, held both in Brussels and virtually on March 9th and 10th, 2024, brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including researchers, industry representatives and policymakers. With a total of 190 projects (174 ongoing), the assembly served as a pivotal platform for discussing the latest developments in the energy landscape and fostering the creation of a sustainable, secure, affordable, and efficient energy system.

The BeFlexible project actively participated as part of the BRIDGE Initiative. Onsite representation included Santiago Gallego from Iberdrola (Working Group on Regulation) and Minna Kuivalainen from Smart Innovation Norway (Working Group on Consumer and Citizen Engagement). Additionally, online participation extended to the Business Models and Data Management working groups.

Click here to read more and find out the key outcomes from the BRIDGE General Assembly 2024.

ENLIT Europe unfolded its dynamic energy landscape from November 28 to 30 in Paris, featuring a session organized by BeFlexible in collaboration with ENFLATE and STREAM projects. Held on November 28 from 13:30 to 14:30, the session, titled “Unlocking Flexibility Markets: Are Customers Ready to Embrace Innovation?” provided attendees with a platform for thoughtful discussions.

The event, which attracted over 150 enthusiasts eager to explore the intricacies of the evolving energy sector, featured speakers whose expertise elevated the discussions:

• Fernando David Martin Utrilla: i-DE (Iberdrola group), BEFLEXIBLE Project Coordinator.
• Jan Jeriha: University of Ljubljana, Stream_HE Project Coordinator.
• Katerina Drivakou: UBITECH, ENFLATE Project Coordinator.
• Ricardo Bessa: INESC TEC, Keynote Speaker, BeFlexible Project.
• Susana Garayoa: Moderator and Institutional Relations at Zabala Innovation Europe, and part of BeFlexible EU.

Unlocking flexibility markets

The panel delved into critical topics surrounding flexibility markets, offering valuable insights into the energy sector’s future possibilities. Discussion points included barriers and motivations driving consumer engagement, platform interoperability, and evolving regulatory frameworks. The session emphasized a paradigm shift towards intelligent grid connectivity for consumers, recognizing the demand for incentives, education, feedback, and support in active participation.

Highlighting the pivotal role of platforms, the panel explored possibilities within various EU-funded cluster projects. Regulatory challenges and proposed flexible service solutions were also discussed.

Key takeaways from the keynote speaker, Ricardo Bessa, included the challenge of long-term customer engagement in flexibility markets, the potential of a combination of monetary and non-monetary incentives to unlock flexibility, the need for increased consumer information and energy literacy, and the bottleneck of low voltage grids for decarbonization, requiring new planning and operational paradigms.

Moreover, he explained that interoperability between platforms, systems, and services is fundamental for fast and cost-effective flexibility exploitation.

Addressing regulatory complexities, Bessa highlighted the growing challenge of accommodating new Distributed Energy Resources (DER), roles, and business models, with a specific focus on cross-border harmonization, the explicit integration of flexibility in security of supply assessments, and the implementation of cost-reflective network charges.

The event not only facilitated knowledge exchange but underscored the collaborative efforts necessary to shape the future of the energy landscape.

BeFlexible extends sincere thanks to all participants for their active involvement. The collaborative spirit and commitment to innovation have set the stage for continued exploration in the ever-evolving energy landscape.

i-DE, the distribution company of the Iberdrola Group and the coordinator of the BeFlexible project, organized the Smart Grids INNOVA Valencia 2023 event to showcase cutting-edge R&D+i projects related to electrical grids. The event, held at the Veles e Vents building in La Marina de Valencia, brought together various collaborating and supplying companies, universities, technological institutes, and institutions from the Valencian Community.

One of the highlighted presentations at the event was the BeFlexible project, which was showcased by David Martín from i-DE and José Pablo Chaves Ávila from the University of Comillas. This project served as a prime example of the upcoming advancements in innovation projects focused on flexibility within the energy sector.

The discussions during the event focused on the essential components required for electrical grids to play a fundamental role in the energy transition. Key areas addressed included technological advancements, investment strategies, and regulatory frameworks. The participation of diverse stakeholders emphasized the significance of innovation as a catalyst for decarbonizing the economy.

Overall, the Smart Grids INNOVA Valencia 2023 event provided an excellent platform for industry leaders, researchers, and policymakers to exchange knowledge and insights, showcasing the importance of collaborative efforts in driving the energy transition forward.

BeFlexible was presented as a new project, part of the Bridge Initiative

The EU project leaders and coordinators, representing the majority of EU countries, met in Frankfurt from 29 November to 1 December to discuss successes and lessons learnt. Representatives from the EU Commission and associations also joined and were part of the various panel discussions. BeFlexible was presented as a new Bridge project in the new Projects Corner within the EU Projects Zone together with DATA CELLAR EU, ELECTRON and ENERSHARE projects.