On Monday 28 July, the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) approved a harmonised methodology for assessing non-fossil energy flexibility needs.
Developed by ENTSO-E (European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity) and the EU DSO Entity (Distribution System Operators), the flexibility needs assessment methodology guides electricity operators in quantifying the clean and flexible energy needed at national level to manage fluctuations in supply and demand.
Flexibility, through demand response, storage or flexible generation to balance the grid in real time, makes it possible in particular to reduce renewable energy’s wastage when the grid cannot absorb it.
According to ACER, exploiting clean flexibility “will cut reliance on gas, enable energy transition in a cost-effective manner and help Member States deliver on the EU’s binding (...) renewable targets”.
The methodology distinguishes between system flexibility (the ability of the power system to adjust electricity production and consumption in response to market signals) and network flexibility (the flexibility needed to adapt to network availability) and ensures a harmonised approach to assessing flexibility needs.
Member States must submit a national flexibility needs assessment (FNA) by July 2026 and define indicative national flexibility targets by January 2027.
ACER will then publish a European report estimating the need for flexibility, due in July 2027.
To see ACER’s decision: https://aeur.eu/f/i14 ; and the methodology: https://aeur.eu/f/i16 (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)