Claudia Griech, E.ON Energie Romania: “If we want prosumers to become a success story, we need to invest in distribution networks”

“The current legislation provides for an unfair sharing of risks between prosumers and energy suppliers. It is true that the networks are not ready for prosumers and we need a dialogue between stakeholders and we need to see what we can do to improve each element of the value chain, so that prosumers are not a problem, but we also do not discourage them.

If we want prosumers to become a success story, we need to invest in distribution networks. It is not a secret and it is not a surprise to anyone.

One of the reasons for dissatisfaction that we hear most often as suppliers is interruptions in energy supply. It is clear that for the consumer there is still no difference between distributor and supplier, but that is not what is relevant now, but the fact that investments in networks are very important,” Claudia Griech, General Manager, E.ON Energie Romania said at Energy CEO Forum organized by The Diplomat-Bucharest.

Key statements:

• We have reached an energy crisis because of Russia, which decided to blackmail the whole of Europe with energy, so we cannot be dependent on a single energy source.
• Whether we are talking about Green Deal or Smart Deal, this is the natural direction of society: innovation, digitalization, green energy. We cannot face today’s challenges with tools from 30 years ago.
• The fact that we propose energy efficiency, energy independence to customers is natural and represents the correct equation in which we must position ourselves. Customers do not have enough knowledge as we would like, but to be honest, there is not enough knowledge on any element of the value chain.
• Customers are in a learning process. Last year, only 30% of the E.ON customer portfolio that chose a photovoltaic solution also purchased a battery storage system. Now, the percentage is 70%. Together we can teach customers to consume more efficiently, at a cost appropriate to consumption.
• One in two customers appreciates us for the digital services we offer. All our customers need digital services and it is our obligation to offer these services in safe conditions that do not make customers vulnerable in terms of personal data.