Flexibility is not a single asset class
The language of energy transition often treats flexibility as a list: storage, demand response, interconnection, dispatchable generation. Operationally, it is a control problem. Assets must be visible, trusted, contracted, coordinated and activated at the right time. A battery that cannot be integrated into the relevant market or control process may be valuable physically but underused systemically.
Data determines the usable range
The growth of distributed energy resources increases the amount of potential flexibility and the complexity of using it. Operators need timely data, secure interfaces and models that can anticipate conditions rather than merely react. That makes data architecture part of energy infrastructure. It also creates a new industrial layer around aggregation, coordination, verification and settlement.
Evidence to watch
Manfred is looking for proof that digital coordination expands the useful operating range of the grid: faster connection decisions, lower congestion cost, more predictable demand response, better maintenance timing and clearer resilience planning. The strongest evidence will be operating results, not a technology catalogue. Flexibility becomes a strategic capability when it can be reliably turned into action.