From passive consumer to active customer, challenges in the retail market focusing on suppliers, products, metering, billing, communication, and data management

A free electricity market has many market participants in various roles. The division of responsibilities between the participants is not necessarily intuitive, and can be allocated in different ways. Market participants have interests that may be in agreement or in conflict with other market participants. One market participant can play several roles, with each role associated with specific tasks. According to role and tasks, there are different needs for information collection, communication, command and control related to market interaction. An analysis of what happens in-house and main market participants is necessary to identify interfaces in the between marketplace. In a free electricity market the roles will determine the need for specific support systems when interacting with others. Customers with freedom to choose between products and suppliers characterise the retail power market. This new situation is maybe the most important consequence of the restructured power market. To obtain a well functioning retail power market some main issues have to be focused upon. Experiences from Europe states that the following issues are the most important ones in this process: clarify the different market roles: describe the interfaces between the different market roles: and develop and implement methods that give customers real market access. These aspects are discussed and experiences from Europe presented.