Active Customer – An Opportunity for Businesses

When we talk about the energy transition, the focus is usually on new power plants, renewable energy sources, and reducing emissions. Less attention is paid to the fact that the role of electricity consumers themselves is also changing.

The concept of the active customer creates opportunities for companies to find new ways to reduce and better manage energy costs, improve security of supply, and respond to growing decarbonization requirements. Self-generation, battery storage, demand-side management, and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) are increasingly becoming part of business decision-making rather than merely elements of energy strategies.

Amendments to the Decree on Conditions for the Delivery and Supply of Electricity, adopted in May this year, have enabled the active customer concept to finally be implemented in practice. Companies are no longer limited to being electricity consumers that simply pay their energy bills; they can now take on an active role in the electricity market.

From Schneider Electric’s perspective, the ability to actively manage energy is particularly important. Digitalization, automation, and energy management solutions allow companies to better integrate their own generation, storage capacities, and production needs, enabling them to become more flexible participants in the energy system.

There is no one-size-fits-all model. For some companies, the greatest value may come from a solar power plant; for others, from battery storage; and for some, from a combination of self-generation and PPAs.

The Guide for Active Customers, presented at the Sustainable Energy Council workshop, offers practical guidance and concrete models that can help companies better understand and take advantage of these new opportunities.