The study “Decentralized Energy Systems – A Comparison of Concepts for Coordinating Local Flexibility and Their Applicability” compares twelve concepts for decentralized energy systems that aim to mobilize decentralized flexibility and better align generation, consumption, and flexibility at the local level. The concepts examined include time-varying grid tariffs, virtual power plants, tenant-generated electricity, Redispatch 2.0 and 3.0, microgrids, energy sharing (community), local flexibility markets, smart grids and smart markets, peer-to-peer systems, and cellular energy systems. Each concept is described in terms of its key characteristics, the applicable regulatory framework, and existing implementation barriers, and is then qualitatively assessed along the two dimensions of efficiency and feasibility within the current structure and regulatory framework of the energy system.
The analysis shows that concepts with the highest efficiency potential—including smart markets, local flexibility markets, and cellular energy systems—generate price signals that depend on location or grid conditions, thereby explicitly addressing grid capacity constraints. In contrast, approaches that rely primarily on self-consumption (tenant-generated electricity, microgrids) or on market-driven sales without grid connection (virtual power plants) achieve only limited efficiency gains. At the same time, these concepts are at very different stages of implementation: While some are already anchored in regulations, others exist so far only in pilot projects or as theoretical concepts. It is therefore crucial for mobilizing decentralized flexibility that coordination mechanisms integrate the location and timing of scarce grid resources into their incentive structure.
