Expert Interviews: Insights from FLEXCON Industry Leaders
Each year, FLEXCON brings together global industry leaders to share cutting-edge trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the flexible energy market. Dive into expert perspectives on a broad spectrum of smart energy topics, including collaboration, policy development, scalability, market-based innovations, and the transformative role of technology and automation. Explore their insights and stay ahead in the evolving world of flexible energy solutions.
Adriaan van Eck
In his FLEXCON2024 interview, Adriaan van Eck reflected on FLEXCON’s journey from concept to real-world application since its start in 2017. He outlined six core focus areas, including energy markets, policy, technology, smart charging & V2G, with notable progress in each.
Adriaan emphasized the maturity of flexibility solutions like EV smart charging and the value of gathering like-minded professionals annually.
Alexandre Torreele
At FLEXCON2024, Alexandre Torreele from Elia Group highlighted the urgent need to scale flexibility solutions. He explained that flexibility is now financially viable, benefiting not only commercial players but also end-users and grid operators. Negative energy prices signal the importance of shifting loads to absorb excess renewable energy, maximizing value across the energy chain.
Alexandre emphasized that collaboration among all industry stakeholders is crucial to avoid renewable energy curtailment and to capitalize on emerging economic opportunities. His main message: "It's time to scale."
Guro Grøtterud
At FLEXCON2024, Guro Grøtterud from Nodes discussed the company’s mission to provide a platform for local flexibility markets, allowing system operators to purchase and manage grid flexibility efficiently. She emphasized the importance of regulatory harmonization to ensure effective market coordination and support the energy transition affordably. Guro also highlighted the need for alignment between local flexibility markets and other energy tools like tariffs and flexible connection agreements.
Guro praised FLEXCON’s collaborative format for enabling productive discussions with diverse industry experts.
Ina Schelderup
At FLEXCON2024, Ina Schelderup from EPEX SPOT discussed the need for localized flexibility in electricity markets, emphasizing the importance of transparent pricing that reflects real system value. She highlighted EPEX SPOT’s mission to provide effective price signals for market operation, supporting an evolving flexibility market. Ina stressed that while current energy markets work well, local flexibility solutions are crucial for future growth.
Ina appreciated FLEXCON for enabling collaboration and valuable exchanges among industry players, essential for advancing energy market needs.
Jon Ferris
In his FLEXCON2024 interview, Jon Ferris from LCP Delta emphasized the growing importance of flexibility and storage in supporting grid stability as renewable capacity increases. He highlighted the role of both short-term solutions like demand-side flexibility, including EV batteries and smart appliances, and long-term storage options, such as hydrogen, for future seasonal needs. While market design must evolve to meet these demands, he remains optimistic about technology advancements that will enhance grid reliability and affordability.
Jon praised FLEXCON as the leading event for energy flexibility professionals.
Rolf Bienert
At FLEXCON2024, Rolf Bienert from OpenADR Alliance highlighted the importance of using standardized demand response programs for scalable flexibility. He noted that OpenADR’s nonprofit framework enables utilities to manage diverse energy resources efficiently. Although utility adoption poses challenges, he emphasized the need for simple, incremental steps to accelerate the energy transition.
Rolf praised FLEXCON for fostering collaboration and advancing from theoretical discussions to real-world applications in flexibility, underscoring the event’s unique focus on demand response and flexible energy solutions.
Sebastian Condom
In his FLEXCON2024 interview, Sebastian Condom from Voltalis explained their demand response technology, which adds flexibility to both residential and commercial electricity usage. By connecting IoT hardware to appliances, Voltalis can manage real-time energy demands through virtual power plants made up of distributed resources.
Sebastian emphasized the need for automation, scalable business models, and supportive regulatory frameworks to meet the flexibility required for the energy transition. He praised FLEXCON as a key platform for networking, sharing insights, and uniting industry players toward common goals.
Marc Vergroesen
At FLEXCON2024, Marc Vergroesen from Energy Pool emphasized the importance of combining electrification with flexibility to address grid congestion and ensure sustainable energy systems. He highlighted the need for flexibility planning to become a core part of renewable energy and grid strategies. Yet, policy gaps and the lack of a level playing field are major hurdles that needs to be addressed.
Praising FLEXCON, Marc called it a vital platform for collaboration and advancing demand-side flexibility solutions. His main message: flexibility is essential for a future-proof energy transition.
Mike ten Wolde
Mike ten Wolde, Director of GOPACS, spoke at FLEXCON2024 about managing grid congestion with solutions for assets ranging from small household devices to large power plants. He emphasized the importance of integrating bidirectional storage systems, which can charge and discharge efficiently.
With all Dutch grid operators now automated on the GOPACS platform, the focus shifts to onboarding market participants nationwide. Mike encouraged attendees to "join the party" and bring their flexible assets to support grid operators effectively.
Martin van ’t Verlaat
At FLEXCON2024, Martin van ’t Verlaat highlighted Equigy's role as a B2B platform simplifying access to TSO markets for aggregators. This approach enables aggregators to engage consumers and unlock new types of flexibility from everyday assets like EVs and heating systems.
Martin emphasized the need for regulatory adjustments to facilitate flexibility use and called for simplification and standardization to expand solutions across Europe. He praised FLEXCON as a vital hub for innovation and collaboration in energy flexibility.
Michiel Dorresteijn
At FLEXCON2024, Michiel Dorresteijn from Baringa highlighted their global consultancy’s comprehensive approach, spanning energy generation, infrastructure, smart solutions, and customer offerings. He emphasized the importance of distributed flexibility for a stable energy system and the need for effective governance models to unlock its potential.
Michiel praised FLEXCON for fostering collaboration and idea-sharing, enabling stakeholders to explore innovative solutions for the energy sector’s challenges.
Wouter Vermeiden
Wouter Vermeiden, Head of Commerce at Spectral, shared insights at FLEXCON2024 on navigating grid congestion challenges and unlocking value through smart systems. He emphasized that while transitioning to green energy amidst congestion issues is complex, solutions like batteries, localized energy usage, and value stacking across multiple markets are crucial.
Spectral supports both smaller businesses and energy companies in adapting to the Smart Energy reality. Wouter highlighted the growing opportunities in emerging congestion markets and stressed the importance of maximizing asset value to drive sustainability targets. He lauded FLEXCON2024 as an excellent networking hub for industry collaboration and innovation.
Nick Huntbatch
At FLEXCON2024, Nick Huntbatch from Electron emphasized the importance of balancing system operator needs and flexibility service providers (FSPs) to create thriving local flexibility markets. He highlighted Electron’s approach of aligning market structures with diverse technology needs, enabling greater participation and value creation.
Nick underscored flexibility markets as the bridge linking renewable energy dynamics, such as intermittent generation and negative prices, with grid optimization. He praised FLEXCON for gathering key industry players to advance these critical conversations.