Significant shifts are under way in how electricity is produced and consumed in Europe. On the demand side, the switch to electricity for heating and cooling of residential and commercial buildings is gaining momentum. This is also true for the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), as according to a recent Accenture study, EV sales in the EU are projected to grow by 30% annually between 2020 and 2030. On the supply side, wind and solar power are accounting for a growing share of electricity generated in Europe. The net impact of these changes will be higher demand peaks, but of shorter duration, both at national/continental level and at very local levels. The industry can manage this variability and volatility considering the local and decentralized aspects of flexibilities. The field is challenging, but full of new opportunities for energy stakeholders. Grid operators have started to consider various mechanisms to maximise the use of flexibilities for grid management, while retailers and aggregators are designing multiple services and offers to unlock untapped flexibility.
Accenture accompanies its clients in their large transformation projects to transition towards a zero-carbon economy, from strategy to process reengineering and implementation leveraging the full potential of digital and analytics technologies. We have developed an innovation-led approach to help our clients develop, deliver and faster scale disruptive innovations in the energy transition field, to allow them to imagine the future and bring it to life.
As one of the 20 partners of InterFlex, Accenture aims at maximizing the impact of communication and dissemination activities. Within this project, we set up various workshops and discussions on InterFlex results and its perspectives with external stakeholders, organized 3 community meetings gathering 50 to 70 stakeholders, and co-authored multiple articles with project partners and regulators. In addition, we also co-chair the BRIDGE Regulation Working Group, the European Commission initiative gathering the results of all H2020 storage and smart grids projects.
These activities will help to extend the impact of InterFlex with the objective to assist consortium members and its ecosystem in being stronger players of the European energy transition industry.
Thierry Mileo
Lead Utilities France Benelux Accenture
