Making clean power flexy

The report highlights that EU power system flexibility needs are expected to double by 2030 as renewables are projected to reach 66% of electricity generation. It identifies battery storage and demand side flexibility (DSF) as critical but under-utilised tools to replace fossil fuel backup and reduce renewable curtailment. While battery capacity doubled to 16 GW in 2023, the report notes a significant lack of explicit 2030 targets for storage and DSF in national policy documents. It calls for improved data transparency, the removal of regulatory barriers for distributed energy resources, and the inclusion of flexibility targets in National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs).

• 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 experienced rapid growth, doubling in one year to reach 16 GW by the end of 2023, with approximately 70% of new additions being behind-the-meter systems.
• There is a widespread absence of explicit 2030 targets for battery storage and demand side flexibility in national policy documents; only Spain has an explicit technology-neutral storage target in its draft revised National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP).
• Demand side flexibility (DSF) remains under-utilised due to regulatory barriers and a lack of smart meter penetration, with 10 EU countries still having less than 20% smart meter coverage as of 2022.
• Insufficient clean flexibility leads to renewable curtailment, which could reach 118 TWh/year by 2030 according to the European Commission’s REPowerEU plan, representing about 6% of expected generation.
• Forecasts for battery capacity by 2030 vary by source: EASE and LCPDelta project 102 GW total capacity, while the European Commission expects 100 GW.
• The report identifies a critical lack of transparent, open data for tracking battery and DSF deployment, noting that a 'one-stop-shop' for European battery storage data does not exist.

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} }