Making clean power flexy

The report 'Making clean power flexy' by Ember argues that clean flexibility—specifically battery storage and demand side flexibility (DSF)—is essential to integrate the rapid growth of wind and solar power in the European Union and phase out fossil fuel 'peakers'. It highlights a significant gap in national policy targets for these technologies despite projections that EU flexibility needs will double by 2030.

• EU power system flexibility needs are projected to double by 2030 to keep pace with renewables, which are expected to provide 66% of EU electricity by that year.
• Battery storage capacity in the EU grew rapidly, doubling to 16 GW by the end of 2023. Growth is currently concentrated in France, Ireland, and Germany for grid-scale batteries, while Italy and Germany lead in behind-the-meter installations.
• There is a notable lack of explicit 2030 targets for storage and demand-side flexibility in national policy documents. Out of 26 submitted draft revised National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), only 11 quantify deployment for storage technologies, and only Spain has an explicit technology-neutral storage target.
• Demand side flexibility (DSF) remains underutilised due to regulatory barriers and a lack of smart meter penetration. While ENTSO-E projects 24 GW of market-available DSF in the EU by 2030, a SmartEn study suggests the potential is much higher, at approximately 160 GW of upward and 130 GW of downward flexibility.
• Clean flexibility can significantly reduce the waste of renewable energy caused by curtailment. In the UK, battery storage has the potential to reduce annual curtailment costs by 80%.
• Forecasts for battery capacity growth are substantial; EASE and LCPDelta project the EU will reach 102 GW of total battery capacity by 2030, a six-fold increase from 2023 levels.
• Data transparency is a major barrier to system planning. There is no 'one-stop-shop' for European battery storage data, and DSF is difficult to track because it appears as a change in demand rather than a physical generator with name-plate capacity.

APA

Candlin, A., Dizon, R., Brown, S., Jones, D., Rangelova, K., & Rosslowe, C. (2024). Making clean power flexy. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/making-clean-power-flexy

Chicago

Candlin, Alison, Reynaldo Dizon, Sarah Brown, Dave Jones, Kostantsa Rangelova, and Chris Rosslowe. Making clean power flexy. Ember, 2024. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/making-clean-power-flexy.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Candlin |first1=Alison |last2=Dizon |first2=Reynaldo |last3=Brown |first3=Sarah |last4=Jones |first4=Dave |last5=Rangelova |first5=Kostantsa |last6=Rosslowe |first6=Chris |title=Making clean power flexy |publisher=Ember |date=30 April 2024 |url=https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/making-clean-power-flexy |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{candlin2024making, author = {Candlin, Alison and Dizon, Reynaldo and Brown, Sarah and Jones, Dave and Rangelova, Kostantsa and Rosslowe, Chris}, title = {{Making clean power flexy}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2024}, month = apr, url = {https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/making-clean-power-flexy}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }