ENVE works in fields related to the European Green Deal, which include the environment biodiversity, circular economy, zero pollution, climate change, energy, and space policies.
The use of renewable energy sources means that the electricity supply will in future be more heavily affected by fluctuations in electricity generation. It is therefore important to explore and test "flexibility options" if we are to maintain a high level of security of supply in Germany.
Flexible management of individual electricity-consuming processes at major consumers is also known as demand side management (DSM); it is important to develop its use based on competitive price signals, in order to directly ensure that markets are as cost-effective as possible. As it stands, major consumers such as industrial companies can offer flexibility in the market areas of the operating reserve and day trading, and under the Ordinance on interruptible load contracts (AbLaV).
However, despite numerous studies on the subject, it is not yet clear how much DSM flexibility can be used in the coming years, and at what price.
The DSM Baden Württemberg pilot project has provided important impetus for analysing and exploiting the specific potential of DSM in companies. In many cases, companies are unaware of the commercial opportunities, or cannot properly assess whether DSM marketing will pay off for them.
Following a careful analysis of the circumstances in each company, the marketers involved in the pilot project drew up quotes for DSM marketing. The companies could then decide whether they were interested in implementing DSM marketing, and then proceed with implementing it, with further support from the German Energy Agency (DENA). The aim was to support the development of the market for DSM, and at the same time to work directly with the market players concerned to analyse the current difficulties and avenues for improvement, in order to facilitate DSM marketing in future.
This groundbreaking pilot project was supported by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy. Small successes are the key to big changes. Everyone involved has been able to gain a better understanding of the specific challenges of DSM marketing.
