Welcome and Introduction of the session Smart Electrification of Demand

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Recording of Tuesday, May 06, 2025 | The smarter E Europe | Conference Program | Language: English | Duration: 13:27 .

Empower Conference Stresses Demand-Side Flexibility for EU Climate Goals and Addresses Gender Diversity Concerns in Panels

Michael Villa, Executive Director of smartEn and a member of the Empower conference committee, introduces a session on electrified energy demand flexibility. He highlights the shift needed for consumers to become active contributors in managing electricity supply through flexible demand management. This sector involves over 100 companies utilizing decentralized resources like controllable loads, storage facilities, EVs, and small-scale renewables to enhance grid stability and reduce costs by avoiding unnecessary investments in peaking-generation capacity. Progress is hindered by regulatory barriers such as high bid sizes or lack of aggregation frameworks. SmartEn has significantly influenced EU legislation with seventy articles across six legislative packages now addressing these challenges—an improvement from none seven years ago! Their guidebook aids harmonizing rules throughout Europe while fostering business model development towards shared goals benefiting society sustainably long-term. The session includes presentations showcasing consumer and system-level benefits followed by a panel discussion that unintentionally lacked gender diversity due to unforeseen circumstances despite efforts for inclusivity; organizers apologize sincerely for this oversight.

Automated summarization by AI Conver

Michael Villa
Executive Director
smartEn
Belgium

While variable renewable electricity generation is increasing, its cost-effective integration in the energy system remains a challenge. The electrification of consumption, from households to industries, has stagnated at around 23% across Europe. The electrification of demand could place unnecessary strain on the system if it is not made more flexible. To support an increasingly intermittent energy system, peaks in electricity consumption must be avoided and electrified consumers rewarded for shifting demand to another time of the day. The session will present solid business models to support the flexible consumption of renewable electricity in homes, buildings and industries.

Further Talks of this session:

Speaker

Janosch Balke
Product Manager Energy Service
Viessmann Climate Solutions
Germany

To Talk

Speaker

Dr. Michael Schreiber
Head of Flex
Octopus Energy
United Kingdom

Recording of presentation not authorized for publication.

Speaker

Tarvo Õng
CEO
Fusebox Energy
Estonia

To Talk

Speaker

José Queirós de Almeida
CEO
Greenvolt Communities
Spain

To Talk

Speaker

Julien Cossé
Chief Strategy Officer
Nord Pool / Euronext Group
Norway

To Talk

To Talk

Further Content
The smarter E Europe Conferences 2026
Panel Discussion of the Session: Turning Industrial and Commercial Demand Side Flexibility into Value

Tuesday, June 23, 2026, 02:30 pm

The smarter E Europe Conferences 2026 | Conference Program

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Industrial and commercial flexibility is no longer experimental - it is becoming a core part of network operation and market participation. Across Europe, DSOs, transmission system operators (TSOs), aggregators and retailers are moving from isolated pilots to coordinated programs that avoid grid upgrades and deliver real capacity and financial value for all participants.This session focuses on the operational integration of C&I flexibility into routine grid workflows through dispatch, settlement, verification and commercial models. It highlights how flexibility is embedded in daily operations: from automated dispatch and verification tools to new contractual models that reward large energy users for adapting consumption. You will gain insight into replicable approaches for scaling flex portfolios, integrating them into control-room workflows and ensuring fair value-sharing across utilities, service providers and industrial consumers.

Webinar Collection
Demand-side flexibility in action: Real-world strategies for energy-intensive industries

May 5, 2026

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Webinar showing how flexibility can reduce energy costs and strengthen competitiveness.

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Free webinar on low-cost hydrogen production, covering costs, market trends and global developments.

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