A changing market

Market evolution through co-creation

Massive development of decentralised renewable production, the arrival of smart meters, an increase in electric mobility… The energy market is changing! In order to cope with these new parameters, it is essential to change market models and processes.

Thus, in the future, electric vehicle owners could provide flexibility services. In other words: actively participate in maintaining balance on the grid, for example by making the energy stored in their car battery available in exchange for financial compensation.

Synergid, the Belgian federation of grid operators, of which Sibelga is a member, is actively preparing the ground for the framework for these new services. For example, product design groups, or thematic working groups, have been set up since 2021. The representatives of the federation’s members discuss and reflect together and consult the market players concerned in order to propose to the regulators a harmonised framework spanning the 3 regions.

In 2022, a “Flexibility Market Guide” was drafted and finalised after consultation with market players. “Through this guide, which will serve as a guideline for future market developments, Sibelga is fully playing its role as a market facilitator, in close collaboration with the other network operators”, comments Daphné Benzennou, Manager Flex/Market Evolution. A vision paper on the possibility of having several providers on the same access point has also been drafted and published.

Better anticipation of renewable energy flows

In 2022, Sibelga is exporting from its mapping system the low-voltage network and the 15,000 or so renewable generation facilities connected to its network and modelling them in its real-time management platform. More specifically, these are the solar installations of private individuals, energy communities or units of more than 1 MW (about ten in total) and installations of companies connected to the medium-voltage grid.

“With this system, we will have a better understanding of the renewable energy flows that occur on a grid-wide basis or, more locally, by supply station. We will also be able to distinguish between renewable energy injected into the distribution network from Elia’s high-voltage network and that produced locally,” explains François Chevalier, Head of Network Management.

In addition, this system will allow the detection of a phenomenon of reversal of the normal direction of energy which sometimes occurs at the level of the transformer cabins. “These cabins transform the 11,000 volt high-voltage current into a lower voltage so that it can be fed into the low voltage network. Usually, energy flows from high voltage to low voltage. However, when the sun is shining and consumption is low, the surplus renewable energy produced may reverse the direction of circulation: the energy goes up from low to high voltage. It is important to be able to detect this phenomenon in order to act and avoid any imbalance in the network,” adds François Chevalier.

In a second phase, a prediction algorithm will be developed to help detect congestion risks on the network in time. “Energy consumption and production must be in constant balance. However, they vary according to different factors. Consumption depends on energy needs and varies according to the day of the week and the time of day, while renewable production depends on sunshine and the season. Being able to isolate local production in the energy flows is crucial for the quality of the forecast,” he concludes.

New ways of sharing energy

Following the publication of the new ordinance on the organisation of the gas and electricity markets in the Brussels-Capital Region in April 2022, Brussels consumers have new options for sharing renewable and/or locally produced energy.

Thus, thanks to peer-to-peer sharing, a Brussels consumer with solar panels on his roof can sell his surplus energy to another inhabitant of the Brussels-Capital Region.

In-building energy sharing allows members of a condominium to share the output of an energy production facility between them.

Finally, energy communities offer the possibility for one or more local energy producers (e.g. a school with solar panels) to share their surplus energy with other inhabitants in the neighbourhood or on a regional scale.

“This framework further facilitates energy sharing projects, strengthens access to renewable production for all and enhances the value of local production,” says Odile Macé, Business Analyst at Sibelga. “As an incentive, the more local the sharing, the lower the network rate that beneficiaries have to pay. “

Following the publication of the ordinance, Sibelga provided Brussels customers with a whole series of practical information on these new energy sharing options, the process to be followed and the allocation methods on its website. There is also a form to easily request network maps, the consumption history of participants, and a form to declare sharing.

The very first energy sharing in this new framework (a peer-to-peer exchange) was initiated in December 2022.

Link to the website: Partage d’énergie