Europe’s DSOs – ‘seizing the change, get ready for action’

E.DSO’s recent 5th Stakeholder & Innovation Council concluded in its report on the continuing need for innovation and cooperation by DSOs to speed up the energy transition.

Commenting on the core role of the distribution system operators (DSOs) in the electrification of Europe’s energy demand, the Council highlighted that through the use of the right leverage, they can bring significant progress in the deployment of renewable energy and other clean energy technologies.

While there is a risk of an electro-centrism perpetually striving for perfection, there is a need for close industry cooperation, both within electricity and across energy sectors, and a continuous exchange of ideas to further progress with the system integration.

Linearity creates rigidity and is not suitable to address the complexity of the system in which developments take place in parallel, the Council report points out. Innovation on all levels, including the continuous extension of already existing technologies, but also new partnerships along the entire supply chain, will “pave the way towards a decarbonised, digital, and decentralised energy system of the future”.

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On the electricity market design, the report states there is no such thing as “the optimal design” for the future electrification model, but there are good and bad approaches. The reform should build on the three fundamental principles of subsidiarity, energy system integration and correspondence to societal roles.

A ‘one size fits all approach’ also is not the most efficient way when it comes to energy system integration.

Instead, it is imperative to put all efforts into identifying ways to facilitate the functionality between centralised and local levels and optimise the communication between them.

Especially on the local level, energy system integration needs to be increased and accelerated.

Other points that were highlighted in the report are that existing clean and smart technologies must be leveraged and scaled up to sizes where the use can really make a change and that standards are an important tool to bring forward the energy transition, but the process of reaching consensus on them is often slow and complex.

And not least with the central role of consumers at the heart of the future energy system, there must be a focus on unlocking the full potential of flexibility, and for meeting the different needs of those different consumers, a high level of agility is needed.