An introduction to the Smart Energy Framework
The common language to build tomorrow’s smart energy system
Side A
Hooked! Fish for the Future
The everyday story that brings the future of flexibility to life.
HOOKED tells the story of Blue Haven, an ordinary town that illustrates how our energy system could evolve. Instead of technical diagrams, HOOKED uses a narrative style to show how households, businesses, and grid operators together shape a smarter and more sustainable energy future. It offers an accessible introduction that translates complex concepts into everyday situations, inspired by the playful approach of Prof. Dietz’ Introduction to DEMO. Where The Framework Explained provides the technical blueprint, HOOKED shows what that blueprint means in daily life.
Side B
An Introduction to USEF
The blueprint that defines how flexibility markets can work in practice
The Universal Smart Energy Framework (USEF), developed by the independent USEF Foundation, defines an open, consistent market design for unlocking flexibility in energy systems. It provides clear roles, processes, and interfaces that ensure non-discriminatory access at acceptable cost-to-connect and cost-to-serve levels. By combining specifications, reference designs, and practical implementation guidelines, USEF enables all participants TSOs, DSOs, aggregators, suppliers, and consumers to co-create a functional, future-proof smart energy system.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the book cost?
The entire set of publications from the USEF foundation is available for free. You can download your own all documents from the USEF website (see below).
Can I build my own smart energy system using USEF?
To kickstart your project a reference implementation is available on GitHub. You can just download it and start your own flexibility market in minutes.
Has the framework been demonstrated in practice?
In 16 demonstration projects all across Europe ranging from unlocking smart vehicle charging and datacenter flexibility towards VPP and residential flexibility have shown how the framework can turn flexibility into tradable value.
Is the framework already been adapted in some energy market
USEF has become a reference model for TSO-DSO coordination within the EU BRIDGE program. Ofgem and the EU Smart Grid Task Force explicitly reuse USEF terminology in regulatory frameworks. In the Netherlands, the ACM adopted a flexibility-first congestion management strategy, embedding USEF-style market mechanisms in GOPACS.