Recording of Tuesday, June 23, 2026 | The smarter E Europe Conferences 2026 | Language: English | Duration: 10:14 .

NODES and the Evolving Landscape of Flexibility Trading

NODES is a trading platform that connects buyers and sellers of local flexibility to manage congestion of active power. It serves as a software solution facilitating negotiations between transmission and distribution system operators and sellers like aggregated electric vehicles and industrial sites. Active in regions such as Norway, Sweden, and Canada, NODES collaborates with over 20 operators and supports both research and real-money trading. Distribution System Operators (DSOs) face challenges in attracting flexibility due to competition from well-established markets. Most flexibility service providers prefer the Transmission System (TS) model for its efficiency in managing diverse energy resources and for optimizing operational costs amid regulatory changes. The integration of flexibility markets for energy supply, demonstrated by the FinFlex market, fosters better resource utilization, allowing flexibility services to be traded even from non-participating DSOs. Coordination among Norwegian DSOs promotes access for new participants, while innovative capacity management techniques, such as 'arming', have improved the utilization rates of flexibility services and reduced costs for DSOs.

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Speaker

Guro Grotterud
Director of Regulatory Affairs and Senior Project Manager
NODES
Norway

Talk of session: From Local Experiments to Lasting Markets: The Future of DSO Flexibility

As distribution system operators (DSOs) gain experience with local flexibility markets, the focus is increasingly shifting from pilot projects to stable, scalable and enduring solutions. This session will examine what it takes to move from experimental local flexibility schemes to robust markets that can be reliably integrated into system operation and investment planning. The discussion will address regulatory readiness, market design choices, standardization, coordination with other system operators and the conditions needed to provide long-term security for flexibility providers. By bringing together DSOs, policymakers, market actors and technology providers, the event aims to identify practical pathways towards sustainable local flexibility markets that support a resilient and decarbonized electricity system.

Further Talks of this session:

Welcome and Introduction

Speaker

Luís Vale Cunha
Board Member, European Affairs, Policy & EU Projects
E.DSO and E-REDES

To Talk

From Local Experiments to Scalable Flexibility Markets: What Europe Is Learning

Speaker

Kris Kessels
Senior Researcher Energy Markets
VITO/EnergyVille
Belgium

To Talk

Small Batteries, Big Flexibility: Aggregated Distributed Storage for DSOs

Speaker

Cristina Corchero García
CTO
Bamboo Energy S.L.
Spain

To Talk

From the Living Room to the Grid: How Matter + OpenADR Enable Mass-Market Flexibility

Speaker

Rolf Bienert
Managing Director
OpenADR Alliance

To Talk

From Pilot to Portfolio: Making Local Flexibility Work for DSO in Different Member States

Speaker

Torsten Knop
European Regulation
E.ON SE
Germany

To Talk

The Next Step in Solving Congestion on All Voltage Levels

Speaker

To Talk

Panel Discussion

To Talk

Partners & Sponsors