Smart Talks with Jovan Season 9 Part 1 Flexibility
In the first episode of the ninth season of Smart Talks with Jovan we explore one of the most important topics in today’s energy sector, flexibility.
This season focuses on how energy systems are evolving to become more adaptive, resilient and efficient in response to rapid digitalization and decarbonization.
Our guest is Elena Boskov Kovacs, an energy transition strategist with more than two decades of experience across industry and European innovation programs. She currently serves as Honorary Chair at the ETIP Governing Board, contributing to shaping Europe’s clean energy transition.
Could you briefly describe your role and responsibilities and how you define flexibility today
My work is closely connected to the European energy transition through my role within ETIP, which is an advisory body to the European Commission. Over the years, I have collaborated with grid operators, regulators and industry stakeholders to help shape long term strategies and roadmaps for the development of energy systems.
From this perspective, I see that flexibility is often misunderstood. Many people still associate it mainly with demand response, meaning shifting or reducing electricity consumption. However, flexibility is much broader than that.
For me, flexibility represents the ability of the energy system to manage generation, consumption and storage across time and space. It is about controlling and optimizing the system as a whole, not just individual components.
Today, flexibility is becoming a major part of the energy transition. It enables better system efficiency, supports reliability and opens new opportunities for market participation in increasingly decentralized energy systems.
In which cases does flexibility work in practice and where does it remain limited
From what I have seen in practice, flexibility can bring strong benefits when it is applied to specific challenges within the grid. It can reduce congestion, improve reliability and help utilities better manage existing assets.
In many cases, flexibility allows us to postpone investments by optimizing how current infrastructure is used. Through tools such as smart meters, controllable devices and digital platforms, we can improve visibility and control within the network.
At the same time, flexibility is not a universal solution. It cannot replace the need for physical grid expansion and modernization. There are structural challenges in the system that still require traditional investments.
So in reality, flexibility works best when it is used alongside conventional infrastructure development. It is not about replacing one with the other, but about finding the right balance between the two.
What are the main technical and market barriers to large scale deployment
One of the main technical challenges I see is the lack of full visibility within the grid, especially at the low voltage level. Even though we are deploying many smart devices and systems, they are often not fully integrated.
Digitalization is not just about installing technology. It is about creating end to end systems where data can be processed and used in real time. Without that integration, the value of digital solutions remains limited.
Another major challenge is the fragmentation of regulatory frameworks and market development across different countries. The pace of implementation varies, and this creates inconsistencies in how flexibility can be deployed.
In addition, utilities are dealing with legacy infrastructure. Integrating new technologies with existing systems is complex and requires careful planning and coordination.
Overall, I would say that the biggest barriers are not only technical, but also organizational and strategic.
Conclusion
Flexibility in modern energy systems should be understood not as an isolated feature, but as a systemic capability that delivers value only when generation, consumption, storage, and network operations are fully integrated. Partial implementations, such as standalone demand response or the deployment of smart devices, remain limited in impact without end to end coordination enabled by digitalization and real time data exchange.
The primary constraints to large scale deployment of flexibility are not rooted in the lack of available technologies, but in challenges related to integration, coordination, and alignment across stakeholders. Fragmented regulatory frameworks, insufficient grid visibility, and the complexity of combining new solutions with legacy infrastructure indicate that the problem is predominantly organizational and strategic rather than purely technical.
Flexibility creates the greatest economic value as an optimization layer that enhances the efficiency of existing infrastructure rather than replacing it. Its role is to defer investments, improve asset utilization, and support renewable integration, but it cannot address fundamental structural needs such as grid expansion or modernization, making it inherently complementary to traditional infrastructure development.