The increased electrification of our urban and more generally the built environment creates challenges of congestion-occasions when there is more supply or demand of electricity than fits through a cable. This fluctuation in available electricity creates problems for the operation and eventually the stability of the grid: it prompts grid operators to conduct grid reinforcements at local levels, which is often costly, time-consuming, and inconvenient for residents. The researchers aim to investigate scalable electrical flexibility services for consumers, business, and distribution system operators in order to postpone or even prevent such low-impact works. This flexibility can be created by regulating the generation or use of electricity over time at household level. This can be done by, for instance,  shifting the charging time for electric cars or the utilisation of heat pumps to moments when people use less energy or by storing the surplus of energy in batteries when the sun shines bright. Through the development of special algorithms the researchers develop a mechanism which can decide when energy flows which way. For the development of such mechanisms they also include the willingness of companies and consumers to be flexible in their energy flow. How can they interact with such a decision system, do they need to accept cookies or are there other ways for it to work?
By making the use of electricity more flexible and smart the researchers intend to design an alternative for bluntly increasing the capacity of local grids. 

When it is possible to make the grid more flexible the next step is to develop applications that will automate the use and trade of electrical energy in a transparent and fair manner.