New business models at distribution grids: a stakeholder consultation

In this paper, four business models are presented and discussed from the perspective of different stakeholders or actors in the ecosystem, either because they are involved in their implementation or affected by them. This discussion derives from interviews conducted with 31 representatives from industrial consumers, energy regulators, policymakers, distributed energy resource (DER) owners, TSOs, DSOs, retailers, aggregators, ESCOs, and data service providers. The consultation covered experts from four European countries, namely Portugal, Sweden, Slovenia, and Spain. The business models under consultation included the (i) use of flexibility by DSOs, (ii) aggregation through the Virtual Power Plant (VPP) concept, (iii) consumers (industrial and residential) energy usage optimization and flexibility provision, and (iv) the concept of data service provision through data platform. We conclude by identifying the most relevant drivers and barriers identified for each business model. Barriers are subdivided for each business model according to three categories, namely (i) regulatory, (ii) technological, and (iii) organizational or behavioural.