The empowerment of consumers is increasingly recognised as a central driver of the energy transition, enabling a cleaner, healthier and cost-effective energy system.
The report maps the progress of Member States in enabling “explicit” Demand Response, reviewing the regulatory structures of 18 countries: 16 EU Member States, plus Norway and Switzerland. The research shows that there has been an overall increase of interest in enabling Demand Response in almost of all the countries examined and notable progress has been achieved in some of the markets. However, significant barriers still have to be overcome in the majority of EU countries. These concern the market opening to Demand Response, access for service providers like independent Demand Response Aggregators, product definitions as well as verification, payments and penalties for Demand Response services.
The report will be a valuable tool for policymakers, planners, and practitioners as they grapple with the challenges and opportunities of enabling Demand Response to grow in our energy system.