Energy Flexibility: How It Works And Why It Matters

A Power System in Transformation

The way we produce and consume energy is changing radically. More and more often, electricity is generated close to where it is used, for instance by rooftop solar panels. This model, known as distributed generation, is essential for the energy transition, but it introduces a challenge: the intermittent nature of these sources requires continuous real-time grid balancing to ensure safety and efficiency. In this scenario, energy flexibility becomes the key capability that allows production and consumption to adapt in response to system signals. Here are the main benefits.

Flexibility: How It Works, in Simple Terms

Energy flexibility is already part of our daily lives, even if we don’t notice it. But in practice, how is flexibility provided? And where does it come from?
For consumers, energy flexibility takes two forms. A direct approach means we take the initiative for example, choosing to charge an electric car during hours of high renewable generation. An indirect approach involves authorizing a third-party operator (such as Plenitude) to optimize the management of our devices. In this case, the operator may schedule car charging at night when electricity demand is lower.

Where does flexibility come from?

• From our consumption (Demand Flexibility)
  It’s not about consuming less, but consuming better. This is known as Demand Response: running appliances, charging a car, or adjusting heating during times when the grid has a surplus of renewable energy. Technologies such as smart meters and Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) make this simple and automatic
  

• From energy producers (Supply Flexibility)
  If you have a photovoltaic system, you become a prosumer: both producer and consumer. If you add a storage battery, you evolve into a prosumager: a more advanced profile capable of storing energy and using it when it’s most valuable to you or to the grid.

Smart Energy Is Already Here: A Journey Through Everyday Flexibility

Energy flexibility is a revolution already unfolding. It manifests through a synergy of actions and technologies that, often invisibly, reshape our relationship with energy, turning passive consumption into active participation.

This intelligent dialogue with the grid begins within the walls of the home and translates into optimized energy management, thanks to sensors that autonomously regulate heating/cooling and lighting, the control of consumption peaks, and predictive diagnostics for building systems. Solar energy captured by photovoltaic panels is stored in the home battery, ready to be released after sunset. Increasingly, the technological “conductors” of the transition will orchestrate this domestic symphony: connectivity and smart meters that turn the system’s needs into concrete actions that benefit the user.

The journey continues in the garage, where the electric car recharges via latest-generation wallboxes capable of communicating with any photovoltaic system and modulating charging speed according to consumption peaks. In the near future, charging infrastructure will become an active partner of the grid. Thanks to technologies such as Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Vehicle-one-Grid (V1G), the vehicle’s battery will be able to interact with the grid, helping to stabilize energy demand at specific places and times. On a larger scale, the same principle can be applied to industrial plants, which can modulate their production cycles to provide high-value balancing services to the grid.

Plenitude and the Commitment to a Flexible Energy Future

Plenitude has embedded flexibility into its strategy, recognizing it as a crucial asset for enabling the energy transition. The company is involved in numerous projects in Italy and across Europe that explore and implement innovative solutions.

These initiatives demonstrate a concrete commitment to building an ecosystem where flexibility orchestrated by advanced technological platforms becomes the norm. The new energy paradigm is not only a technological challenge but also a cultural opportunity: it redefines the consumer’s role, who transforms from a passive actor into a protagonist of a more democratic and efficient system. Collaboration among energy operators, institutions, companies, and citizens will be essential to fully unlock the potential of this model and build a truly shared energy future.