The energy transition necessitates innovative approaches to grid capacity usage and management to increasingly integrate renewables and Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) into the energy system. System Operators (SOs) have multiple tools to securely and efficiently manage the grid. Flexibility has become a new tool in their tool box enabling SOs to use the prosumers’ ability to adapt their consumption and production according to the available grid capacity. The use of flexibility differs depending on the location, DER type availability, grid infrastructure and constraints of one or multiple SOs and related system operator coordination.

The NODES Platform and market solutions facilitate trading of flexibility services and coordination mechanisms among SOs supporting efficient grid management to increasingly integrate renewables and DERs. Beyond turnkey technology, NODES provides insights from existing flexibility markets and pioneering projects showcasing how to get started with renewables and DER integration, flexibility utilization in defined geographic locations, and the pivotal role of TSO-DSO and DSO-DSO coordination in optimizing grid flexibility and reliability.

The Norwegian NorFlex project showcased the integration of local flexibility into the TSO reserve market, promoting value stacking of DERs. The EuroFlex project, which builds on learnings from the NorFlex project, demonstrates large-scale flexibility solutions through coordinated efforts among the largest DSOs in Norway. In Sweden, the sthlmFlex project addressed regional capacity challenges by implementing market-based TSO-DSO coordination, ensuring the continuous growth of the Stockholm area. Finland's FinFlex initiative pilots a congestion management market, allowing both the TSO and DSO to procure flexibility services on the same platform, thereby improving grid stability and reliability. In the Opentunity project the Greek TSO and DSO jointly examine the use of flexibility across all grid levels aiming to host more renewable energy in the grid.

Different coordination mechanisms and scenarios are tested to ensure a secure activation of flexibility for grid services while evaluating the standardization potential of coordination processes to limit additional operational efforts. These projects collectively highlight the results and challenges as well as the importance of collaborative efforts and innovative market solutions in achieving a resilient and sustainable energy grid.