Compliment of the month: ACER with approval Flexibility Needs Assessment Methodology
In the "compliment of the month" message series, each month we would like to highlight a stakeholder who in his or her own way is trying to accelerate the implementation of energy storage. For the month of April, our compliment goes to the European Agency for the Coordination of Energy Regulators (ACER) for its recent adoption of the Flexibility Needs Assessment Methodology. This step represents an important milestone for energy storage, as it provides a transparent and harmonized way for flexibility needs to be assessed and recorded in member states.
Methodology Flexibility Needs Assessment
The European Commission requires EU member states to conduct an annual Flexibility Needs Assessment in order to gain insight into European and national flexibility needs. To carry this out, a uniform methodology between member states is necessary. ACER designed this methodology providing a solid foundation for both transmission and distribution system operators to carefully and consistently analyze future flexibility demand. This not only looks at traditional system elements, but also clearly distinguishes between network flexibility and system flexibility. This makes it possible to determine much more precisely where and when flexibility solutions are needed, and which technologies can make the greatest contribution to this.
The role of energy storage within this methodology
For the energy storage sector, this development is particularly significant. The methodology recognizes that storage is a full-fledged and versatile flexibility resource that can help alleviate congestion, support grid stability and enable much higher integration of renewable energy sources. Giving energy storage an explicit place in the systematic assessment of flexibility needs creates greater certainty and clarity for investors and developers. This helps create the right market conditions and policy frameworks in which storage technologies can be promoted.
Another key advantage of this approach is that the analyses do not stand alone, but link to existing European and national studies, such as the European Resource Adequacy Assessment (ERAA) and its national equivalents. This makes efficient use of already existing data and expertise, while ensuring consistency and comparability across member states.
Energy Storage NL: methodology good signal direction for nationwide storage target
The approved methodology lays a solid foundation for the next steps to be taken at the European level. Within the next few years, member states will deliver their flexibility reports and set resulting targets for non-fossil flexibility.
Energy Storage NL sees this as a powerful signal that Europe is not only committed to more renewable energy, but is also creating the necessary preconditions to actually use this energy efficiently and sustainably. For some time, Energy Storage NL has been urging the national government to look at a national target for energy storage, so that the future role of energy storage and the necessary direction and coordination can be incorporated more concretely into policy. The industry organization therefore now sees itself supported by the Flexibility Need Assessment and the elaboration of this methodology within which energy storage must also be properly included. Energy Storage NL therefore calls on policy makers to be proactive in its implementation and to start working now on a national elaboration of the Flexibility Needs Assessment.
