Eric Morel is a worldwide recognised expert of energy transition and digitalisation. In the past, he has served as VP Corporate Business Strategy and VP Global Smart Grids and Energy Efficiency at Schneider Electric as well as CEO of Ilevo, a telecommunication start-up. He is a founding member and a former Board member of the Gridwise Alliance, the main professional private/public association dedicated to Smart Energy.
Energy efficiency was initially conceived as energy savings. Although sobriety remains at the heart of energy efficiency, new conceptions of energy efficiency have developed providing very contrasting images of this notion.
Similar to the other “small” European countries, Switzerland does not necessarily attract the attention of big energy players. Nonetheless, the country is regularly ranked amongst the most innovative European countries alongside Norway, Sweden and Denmark. It also enjoys a very active research infrastructure, and, in terms of energy, its fragmented market is particularly dynamic. Indeed, the Swiss energy market has only been open since 2009 for large consumers (more than 100 MWh / year) and distribution and supply activities are still not separated.
In our minds, everything seems clear, distribution network operators (DSOs) belong to the regulated world, therefore remain in a monopoly and are without competition.
How simple was the past energy world! The energy utility’s catalog often boiled down to one or two rates of electricity, gas or heat. In recent years, changes in energy systems and the opening of markets to more competition have forced suppliers to differentiate themselves. The first page of their web site is rich in teaching: the way in which the suppliers guide residential consumers towards the information of their choice, the way they structure their data, are often revealing their DNA, their culture and their vision of the energy world.
Flexibility in different forms is at the forefront of energy publications and conferences. Fashionable for 10 years, the subject does not seem to run out of steam; better, flexibilities even appear today as an essential source of income. The fever of the actors in this area reminds us, to a lesser extent, of the gold rush.
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