Smart Energy Summit 2021

The European Green Deal is much more than cutting CO2 emissions.
It is about making systemic modernisation across our economy, society and industry, as President von der Leyen stated during her first State of the Union speech in 2020.
European energy users – businesses and citizens alike – hold the key to this. They can spur technology development, provide important flexibility to stabilize the increasingly variable energy system and contribute to reach climate neutrality cost-effectively.
Their empowerment and active participation are key to make the clean energy transition a success for the environment, economy and society.
The flexible adjustment of consumption and production patterns at the demand-side is crucial in this respect, but the potential of demand-side flexibility (DSF) is still undervalued and underestimated. It still remains in the MW or low GW numbers.

The Smart Energy Summit 2021 invites participants to visualise a reality in 2030 where every smart building, active industry and flexible electric vehicle have different opportunities to interact and support the more variable energy system.
In a highly interactive format, participants will be invited to explore how to achieve this vision, exchange on how to catapult DSF to the next level and trigger political recognition of its value and benefits at the very top of European decision-making in politics and industry.
Business representatives and stakeholders will exchange on three potential levers that could help DSF emerge from this “shadow cone”:

• Targets: Differently from renewables and energy efficiency, no targets or objectives are set by public authorities to unlock the DSF potential. Would a target for DSF help drive its uptake
• Modelling Scenarios: The quantification of the DSF value, the calculation of its potential in all demand-side sectors and a comprehensive assessment of its benefits to increase system efficiency are currently missing. No methodology or study calculates the role of DSF thoroughly which undermines its contribution to a cost-effective clean energy transition. How to ensure a robust modelling scenario that recognises the value of DSF for both end-users and the system?
• Revenue Streams: Beyond non-financial benefits, a stable and noteworthy reward for the active participation to the clean energy transition is currently missing. What is missing to secure revenue streams for both flexibility providers and active consumers?

A mix of levers would help lift DSF from its niche into a mainstream solution for a costeffective clean energy transition. The Smart Energy Summit 2021 aims at being the European forum to exchange on them.