Abstract
Until very recently, distribution-led local flexibility markets were exclusively an academic endeavor, with few practical applications, mostly limited to small-scale innovation projects. However, with European regulation finally catching up with the realities of modern distribution networks, local flexibility markets are slowly becoming a reality - new ones popping up across the continent, or some even becoming a BAU option in the most advanced countries. This talk will give an end-to-end overview of the topic: what flexibility markets are, how they are usually approached from an academic perspective, and what the current industrial reality is. The talk will primarily focus on the state of the market in the UK, the most advanced country in Europe in terms of energy innovation. An overview of the relevant progress in other European countries will also be presented, with some closing thoughts about the future of local flexibility and Distribution System Operators.
Brief Biography
Jason Avramidis is an expert in electricity markets and power systems optimization, with a specialization in local flexibility markets and domestic demand response. He has served as an energy researcher across 6 countries and as a Flexibility Markets Developer at UK Power Networks, the largest Distribution System Operator in the UK. He is currently the Director of Innovation & International Flexibility Markets for OakTree Power, a leading clean-tech company that develops novel products for building energy management and the provision of decentralized flexibility services.