The UK, France and Germany are leading on demand side flexibility in Europe.

That’s the conclusion reached in a new study from energy consultancy Delta-EE and digital and decentralised energy association SmartEN.

In a study of the progress of demand side flexibility across 21 European countries, in terms of availability and accessibility, monetisation, asset diversity, customer engagement and the competitive landscape, Sweden, Spain and Portugal were found to be lagging behind the rest of Europe.

The report highlights industrial loads and distributed generators are the most commonly used demand side flexibility assets and claims aggregators are dominating the current market.

The firms note industrial customers are the most engaged with demand side flexibility, compared to commercial and residential customers.

A number of policy changes have been causing an uncertain near-term outlook for providers of demand side flexibility, according to National Grid Electricity System Operator.