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The aggregate potential is large. Industry accounts for about 35 per cent of EU electricity consumption and more than 40 per cent in Germany. The authors calculate that demand management could cut renewable curtailment by at least 15.5 TWh \u2014 a 61 per cent reduction \u2014 by 2030 and avoid the construction of at least 60 GW of peaking capacity. System-wide savings are put at over \u20ac300 billion a year, with consumer savings from flexible assets exceeding \u20ac71 billion and annual reductions in grid costs reaching up to \u20ac29 billion.<\/p>\n
Three case studies illustrate the range: Sappi’s 20 MW electric boiler in Maastricht (\u20ac6.5 million investment, five-minute fuel switching); Peter Bade’s AI-managed cold-logistics site in Neum\u00fcnster, which cut grid fees 44 per cent in 2025 while saving 54 tonnes of CO\u2082 annually; and Speira’s 1.6 MW battery in Hamburg, generating over \u20ac100,000 a year through peak shaving and balancing-market participation.<\/p>\n
The report calls for equal market access for demand response, flexibility-oriented grid tariffs and compatible digital interfaces. It also flags that EU electricity is taxed on average 1.4 times more heavily than gas \u2014 a distortion the authors say should be corrected. Demand response alone, they note, cannot meet future flexibility needs; large-scale storage and bidirectional EV charging remain indispensable complements.<\/p>\n