Netzflex initiative

To this end, dena has drawn up a position paper together with stakeholders and developed a catalogue of regulatory measures for immediate action.

The electricity system is changing as a result of the energy transition and the associated sector coupling. In addition to the change in generation from increasingly renewable energies, new loads are expected in large quantities, for example, with electromobility and the increasing number of alternative heating systems. This change sometimes means a reduction in generation capacity at the highest voltage levels for the electricity system and – due to increasingly decentralised generation – a shift to lower levels, where new consumers are emerging at the same time. The bottom line is that generation will become more volatile and consumption more flexible. A regulatory system that was designed for yesterday’s world must be further developed for new conditions in order to remain sustainable.

Grid operators and other players in the energy transition have joined forces in dena’s Netzflex initiative to remove barriers to the use of flexibility in a way that benefits the grid.

The initiative uses its publications to call on politicians and regulators to remove regulatory barriers and take action before the end of this legislative period. The catalogue of measures shows constructive solutions for eliminating the existing barriers. Forming the basis of the initiative, ten guiding principles were formulated in a position paper in advance.

The cross-sector measures for immediate action provide a constructive contribution to the debate and show the actors involved possible solutions that can be compromised. The aim is to submit a proposal to policymakers, which the relevant stakeholders have approved, on how the regulatory framework for flexibility can be developed quickly and effectively in order to create the right conditions for the necessary innovations for the energy transition.