Vlerick Expertise in Energy

Since the start of deregulation at the end of the nineties, the electricity market has undergone dramatic changes. It is often tricky for newcomers to understand why things are the way they are or to appreciate the route that led here. To get a historical perspective and tips for the future, read Electricity Network Regulation in the EU – The Challenges Ahead for Transmission and Distribution by Professor Leonardo Meeus, director of the Vlerick Energy Centre, and Jean-Michel Glachant, director of the Florence School of Regulation and holder of the Loyola de Palacio Chair on energy policy in the EU.

With the smart metering proof of concept and pilot phases completed, Eandis can take pride in the upcoming roll-out of an ambitious project that started way back in 2007. Heads-up with Jean-Pierre Hollevoet from Eandis, Professor Behzad Samii and researcher Olga Varganova.

The energy market is being shaken to its core. How do you cope with that change as a “traditional” DSO? What are the strategic options? “Alliander chose to innovate from its core, but driven by a market perspective,” says Marion Debruyne. “This decision resulted in an exhilarating journey that we recently chronicled in a case study and, through the presentation by Alliander’s strategic director, Pallas Agterberg, gladly share with our DSO community.”

Policy changes and technological developments have caused a significant increase in the installed capacity of renewable energy generation sources, such as wind and solar power. As a result, there has been a steep growth in renewable electricity generation, which is variable and decentralised. Electricity consumers increasingly become prosumers. However, the electricity market structures were not designed to deal with the consequences. What can we do to take advantage of renewable energy? Ariana Ramos’ doctoral thesis provides a qualitative and, most importantly, quantitative analysis of the challenges and possible solutions.

Enedis, a subsidiary of EDF, is in charge of the last mile in the delivery of electricity to most of France. This case study follows the start and development of Enedis' digital transformation, with the ambition to be at the forefront of the energy sector in the digital age.

Distribution system operators are facing a radical digital transformation of their business model. They could go from purely managing the physical infrastructure to acting as data hubs or neutral distributors of energy data as well. Are we on the verge of an ‘Uberisation’ of the energy sector? Stijn Viaene, Professor at Vlerick Business School, believes we are.

This teaching case describes the current challenges of the energy market, especially focusing on DSOs (Distribution System Operator) such as Eandis.

Energy and electricity are usually associated with the colour green. Not so for professor Leonardo Meeus: “Today, grey is the colour. Not a boring grey though. An exciting grey”. Twenty years ago, almost the entire energy value chain was in the hands of a single player. Nowadays there are different bodies responsible for different areas. In the sidelines of the distribution system, a myriad of new activities have sprung up which are not regulated at a national or EU level.

There are many uncertainties that might determine the future of the energy industry in general and the landscape of network operation in particular. According to the Vlerick Energy Centre together with a team of European industry leaders two of these uncertainties call for deeper analysis as they are more relevant and most likely game changers for the power grid industry: consumer involvement and decentralised generation. Depending on the level of consumer involvement in energy choices and the amount of decentralisation of the energy resources four scenarios were developed on how the energy market in Europe could look like in 2030.

A recent survey by the Vlerick Energy Centre in close collaboration with KPMG on the future of Distribution System Operators (DSOs) shows that top executives from Distribution System Operators across Europe expect significant changes in their role and business environment. Vlerick Energy Centre Chairman, Daniel Dobbeni, explains: “Decentralised and renewable electricity generation as well as customers becoming rapidly both consumers and self-suppliers will change the power sector like never before. To keep the lights on, the industry actors must quickly acquire new knowledge and confront their experiences.”