What if peer-to-peer energy trading became mainstream? [42]
Executive summary If P2P energy trading scaled from pilots to the default way small customers buy and sell electricity, distribution systems would shift from passive, one‑way delivery to actively managed local markets. The upside: lower system costs through avoided network upgrades, higher renewable absorption, new retail propositions, and greater customer engagement. The risks: operational complexity at the grid edge, fragmented liquidity, and consumer protection/data‑privacy concerns. A credible path to mainstreaming requires: Clear legal rights for energy sharing/trading, DSO‑centred market governance and digital infrastructure (asset registries, data standards, settlement), Tariffs that internalize network constraints, and Interoperability across platforms. Evidence from the IEA’s GO‑P2P initiative, EU’s Clean Energy Package, UK flexibility reforms, Australia/Singapore trials, and India’s 2026 Delhi sandbox shows the building blocks exist; what’s missing is c...