Expert Exchange Workshop: Flexing EU’s pathway to net-zero

Introduction

The energy landscape in the European Union and globally is rapidly evolving, characterised by the increasing penetration of variable renewable energy sources (RES). This transition presents new challenges and opportunities for grid operators and energy systems at large, particularly in ensuring system flexibility to efficiently integrate variable generation and accommodate fluctuating demand.

Pursuing the binding target of at least 42,5% renewable energy in the gross final energy consumption across the EU by 2030 and the need to massively electrify end-use sectors will exacerbate these dynamics. Flexibility in power systems is key for managing operations and balancing supply and demand during normal conditions and times of high disturbances, supporting the security of supply.

Projections estimate that flexibility needs to double by 2030. On that front, the revised Electricity Regulation envisages a framework to assess the different types of flexibility needs, including seasonal, daily and hourly, every two years and for a timeframe of 5 to 10 years. The imperative that lies ahead is to expand and upgrade the electricity grid infrastructure and switch to decarbonised flexibility solutions at a pace that keeps up with the renewable generation.

Building on RGI’s Expert Exchange Workshop series, experts from across the value chain of the energy system, including policymakers, NGOs and academia, explored strategies, technologies, modelling approaches and policies that have the potential to unlock flexibility and lead to system optimisation. The outcomes of the discussions will inform the upcoming flexibility assessments and the EU’s Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) process as well as provide insights into the resource adequacy exercises.