Energy flexibility

Energy system flexibility, or the ability of the system to optimally manage supply and demand across all relevant timescales, is critical for transforming energy systems into carbon-neutral economies. Flexible power systems can encourage a wide range of stakeholders, grid users, and investors to participate in the decarbonization of businesses. Achieving energy systems relying 100% on renewable energy requires harnessing flexibility in all parts of the system. As strategic commercial locations, ports are home to a wide variety of industries and power plants. Ports constitute strategic commercial locations as they house a wide range of industries and power plants. Therefore, ports, as one of the major energy-heavy parts of the energy system, can provide enormous flexibility to the power grid if they are well organized. Besides the advantages and maximized profit flexibility gives the stakeholders at the port, it also contributes to a huge impact on the CO2 emissions og the energy systems. Also, it secures a bigger capacity in the local grid.

In connection to this, different possibilities can be considered for providing flexibility on ports, which can be categorized into these four groups:

• flexibility in the supply,
• flexibility in the consumption,
• flexibility of sector coupling,
• and flexibility of the market.

Ports, which are well equipped with cost-effective renewable energy sources along with various types of energy storage systems, can ensure that the energy supply at the port remains reliable. Even in times of high demand or unexpected outcomes. By having flexible demand, ports can also reduce their energy consumption during periods of low activity or when energy is expensive. In this way, they are helped to work more efficiently and reduce their CO2 footprint. Furthermore, flexibility from sector coupling in ports can promote the resilience of the port's energy system, by securing additional energy systems and thus eliminating dependence on only a single energy source.

Market-driven solutions can promote adaptability by treating flexibility as a commodity and attaching value to it – e.g., by recognizing it as a service, that can be delivered to the energy system. To unlock the ports' great flexibility potential, different business solutions must be implemented from the four points of view mentioned.