In the margins of the EU ‘Energy’ Council on Thursday 30 May, Germany and France announced their collaboration on the flexibility of energy systems, with a joint action plan aimed at strengthening the development of intermittent renewable energies and ensuring security of supply.
This announcement follows the bilateral agreement between the German State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Sven Giegold, and the French Minister Delegate for Industry and Energy, Roland Lescure, during the previous EU ‘Energy’ Council on 4 March (see EUROPE 13364/12).
The two countries will work on a joint analysis and definition of the principle of flexibility and will embark on a joint study of the potential of flexibility, in particular as regards competitive prices for industry and consumers.
Both parties specifically want to exploit the potential of demand flexibility, striking a balance between developing demand response through price signals and protecting consumers from exposure to excessive price peaks.
They also want distribution networks to be able to adapt to more flexible consumers, in particular for charging electric vehicles or using heat pumps.
Finally, both countries welcomed the recent reform of the European electricity market design (see EUROPE 13413/12), which reinforces the role of flexibility. They are also waiting for the next Network Code Demand Response (NC DR), which can contribute to the development of demand response products and the activation of flexibility potential. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)