Who is Best in Class for B2C Flexibility?

When talking about flexibility, the question that often is raised is about which is the best asset to use for B2C flexibility and whether one type is more advantageous than another. In exploring this, it is worth looking at various asset categories, each with its own set of pros and cons. It's impossible to define a single 'best in class' due to diverse factors on an continuous evolving topic still there are some characteristics to consider:

• penetration and growth (are there enough assets today and in the future to create a significant impact?), 

• potential for flexibility (what is the average size in terms of capacity and energy per asset type?), 

• impact on customer comfort (what if something goes wrong when used for flexibility?),

• monetization goal (on which value pools could/should flexibility be monetized) and 

• ease of integration. 

Particularly notable is the typical consumption/production profile of each asset, which can significantly affect the monetization possibilities and the overall opportunity size.

Storage

The Flexibility Hero Storage solutions are often seen as the heroes in the flexibility narrative. Typically, they involve solar-powered charging during the day and discharging at night. With an average capacity of 3-5 kW and 6-10 kWh, these systems are well-suited for flexibility provision. foremost since they can easily deliver monetization streams which require to provide more or less energy, as for example FCR. Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) applications are an extension of this concept, although they can significantly affect customer comfort.

Charge Points

A Trader’s Delight with Caveats Home chargers, especially those with capacities up to 11 kW, make every trader's eyes sparkle. However, the car’s availability and emotional factors of the customer related to the state of charge can be challenging. The growing adoption and standardization of protocols are, however, smoothing out some issues.

Heat Pumps (Smart Thermostats)

The Growing Electrification of Heating The market for heat pumps is on a notable upswing, driven by regulatory changes favoring the electrification of heating. This growth is evident not just in residential settings, but increasingly in commercial and industrial applications as well. Heat pumps, in combination with the buildings they're installed in, act like vast storage capacities, offering the advantage of inertia. This means that the impact on customer comfort, if managed correctly, is often negligible. Unfortunately there still needs to be some work done on standardization for integration. With a typical size of around 3-5 kW, heat pumps might have a lower capacity than some other assets, but the distribution of their running time throughout the day provides interesting opportunities for flexibility in shifting consumption patterns. This characteristic, albeit subtle, is crucial in a landscape where every kilowatt-hour of flexibility can count.

The Special Ones

Unique Flexibility Assets In addition to the usual suspects, there are more unique assets in the B2C and commercial space qualifying for flexibility, some examples:

Direct heaters

• geographical focussed

• small capacity per unit but several units in one home

• with an interesting energy management solution an attractive offer to the end customer

• examples are: tiko Services or Voltalis

Pool Pumps

• geographical focused but growingf (have you ever seen the amount of pools on the outline of Berlin?)

• small capacity each but increasing growth

• almost continuous running time

Water heaters

• small capacity with 2-5 kW each

• easy to integrate as storage in self-consumption scheme

• wide spread geographical focus

• examples are: Ariston

Besides, it can get exotic like church heatings, mountain railways and saunas.

Exemplary load profiles of some distributed energy assets

The Future

Comprehensive Asset Integration There are companies like Axle or Jedlix leading the charge in orchestrating storage and charging processes. The real game-changer, however, is the integration of solar, storage, EVs, home chargers, and electric heating into a cohesive system. Platforms like Beebop, offering end-to-end solutions, are at the forefront of this transition.

Customer-Centric Approach: Always Vital It’s crucial to remember the customer in this equation. They’ve invested in these assets for maximizing local benefits like self-consumption and heating efficiency. Any impact on their experience needs to be carefully considered and fairly compensated. This is also important to consider for the orchestration of providing wholesale or grid flexibility. The key is to make it easy to understand and as transparent as possible for the customer.

What is your Experiences?

What’s the most unique asset you've encountered in the realm of B2C flexibility?