Peter Stanley, Chief Executive, Elexon
The path to Clean Power 2030 and Net Zero is not just about installing more wind turbines, connecting more solar panels, or rolling out heat pumps.
It’s about creating an energy system that can respond in real time, giving households, businesses and communities the ability to participate, benefit, and shape their energy use.
In the decades ahead, electricity will increasingly underpin Britain’s economy, supporting the shift to a cleaner, smarter and more connected society.
Demand is expected to at least double by 2050 as transport, heat, and industry move from fossil fuels to clean power.
Solar panels, EVs, heat pumps and local batteries won’t just be devices -they will be living, active parts of our national energy system.
Increasingly, households and businesses will own and control these assets, playing a direct role in shaping how Britain uses and shares energy.
The challenge and the opportunity lie in how we connect to this new world. Clean technology alone will not deliver Net Zero.
To succeed, the system itself must be intelligent, flexible, and data-driven, with devices and platforms sharing standardised, accurate information in real time.
That’s how we unlock flexibility, reduce costs, and reward participation.
Bringing together data, innovation and consumers to deliver a more flexible grid
Flexibility is the ability to adjust supply and demand to keep the system balanced.
In just a few weeks, Elexon will take on a key new role as market facilitator for distributed flexibility, appointed by Ofgem to help coordinate and grow the UK’s flexibility markets.
The role, which goes live in December 2025, will coordinate and standardise flexibility markets, giving innovators, consumers and system operators the clarity and tools they need to unlock the full value of flexibility across society.
Through the Flexibility Market Asset Registration (FMAR) solution, we will make registered assets visible across all markets.
We have published a Market Facilitator Draft Delivery plan, setting clear targets:
- By 1 July 2027, deliver the FMAR digital infrastructure.
- By 31 March 2028, align flexibility services across Distribution Network Operators (DNOs), NESO, and the Balancing Mechanism where it adds value, simplify market arrangements, and explain any areas where alignment isn’t possible.
We recently implemented a rule change to the Balancing and Settlement Code (modification P444), which allows independent aggregators to directly compensate suppliers for energy differences, boosting market efficiency, grid flexibility, and system security.
The government has also confirmed its minded-to position for Elexon to provide governance for smart energy appliances under the Smart Secure Electricity Systems (SSES) programme, which is designed to create the technical and regulatory frameworks to unlock the untapped flexibility of small-scale devices such as domestic EV charge points and heat pumps.
The government will make its decision at the end of 2025, following a consultation earlier this year.
Turning 500-billion-meter readings into smarter energy
Data lies at the heart of a flexible and secure system.
Removing barriers and unlocking its value to drive innovation and improve services for consumers will be key to a cleaner future.
Elexon will make data from the half hourly settlement accessible via our Insights service, following Ofgem’s consumer consent rules.
By sharing this data, we aim to facilitate new flexibility tariffs and innovation.
Once full half-hourly settlement is in place by mid-2027, Elexon will process around 500 billion-meter readings per year.
This is where digital infrastructure matters. Systems that capture, store and share data securely make it possible to:
- Offer dynamic tariffs that reward consumers for using energy efficiently.
- Allow new players, small-scale flexibility providers to participate in the market.
- Improve system stability and reduce the need for costly peaking power.
Flexibility delivering affordability
The impact of flexibility is tangible. Studies show that renewable energy has already reduced UK energy costs by tens of billions of pounds, saving households significant amounts on electricity bills.
As dynamic tariffs and half-hourly settlement become part of everyday life, households and businesses will gain sharper visibility, greater choice, and real financial incentives to engage with the energy system.
Looking further ahead, we expect automated demand response, Flex-as-a-Service models, and peer-to-peer energy trading to move from the margins to the mainstream.
These innovations will allow participation to scale effortlessly, turning millions of tiny decisions into a force that strengthens and secures our energy system.
And crucially, flexibility is not only about lowering demand.
Demand turn-up has the potential to deliver enormous value for industry and businesses too, rewarding organisations that can increase consumption at the right moments.
Used intelligently, this approach unlocks new economic benefits and harnesses energy when it is abundant, ensuring the system works better for everyone.
Flexibility doesn’t just support Net Zero – it makes the transition fairer and more efficient, spreading benefits across society and ensuring that investment in clean energy translates into lower bills and a more reliable system.
The future of energy is flexible, digital and inclusive
The UK’s energy transition will succeed when technology, markets and consumers work together.
By connecting data, systems, and markets, we can unlock the full value of clean energy, encourage innovation, and create an electricity system that is smarter, fairer, and more responsive.
The promise of Clean Power 2030 is not just more wind or solar – it is an energy system that empowers every household and business to participate, benefit and drive the Net Zero transition forward.
Peter Stanley is Chief Executive of Elexon, a trusted and independent delivery partner, recognised by government, Ofgem and industry for our reliability and technical excellence. With over two decades of experience managing market settlement and code governance, Elexon continues to deliver the reforms and infrastructure that keep the market working.
This article appeared in the Jan/Feb 2026 issue of Energy Manager magazine. Subscribe here.