“Five years ago, we were thinking of the green transition in itself as pretty darn challenging,” says Kristian Ruby, Secretary General of Eurelectric, in a thorough conversation with Gabriel Avăcăriței, at “WATTs Next”, the new podcast format by Energynomics. “And now we’re looking at that same challenge, but on a completely different backdrop where things have gotten immensely more complex and difficult.” Kristian Ruby is a seasoned EU policy strategist, known for his pragmatic vision and ability to navigate the complex crossroads of energy, climate, and geopolitics in Europe.
This shift — both in the scale of ambition and the surrounding context — defines the core of what Ruby calls Europe’s power paradox. Electrification is no longer just a climate imperative. It has become a strategic response to a cascading set of geopolitical, economic, and infrastructural disruptions. And yet, this solution is unfolding within a system still shaped by legacy constraints, fragmented policymaking, and growing expectations from society.
“We have extreme weather now really unfolding on, if not a daily basis, then a weekly basis. We have sabotage on the grid. We have cyberattacks. We have a much more fragile geopolitical situation. And we have a fragmentation of the rule-based global order.”
In this volatile environment, Ruby doesn’t waver from a central thesis: electrification is part of the solution across all dimensions — clean energy, independence, and affordability. But implementation is anything but simple.
From Subsidies to Systems: The Real Investment Gap
As the energy transition matures, investment priorities must shift from renewables deployment to reinforcing the systems that make electrification viable at scale — namely, grids and flexibility. Ruby is frank: “Where would more stuff need to happen in order for the transition to become successful? It would really be about focusing on the system, focusing on the infrastructure, and focusing on the flexibility piece.”
This evolution is already reflected in market signals. “Renewables, especially onshore wind and solar, are essentially more and more in the money,” Ruby explains. Their costs have dropped, while electricity prices remain high, driven by gas volatility. As a result, continued subsidies for generation are increasingly questioned.
“If I now look at where would more stuff need to happen… it would really be about focusing on the system.”
The tension is clear: boosting grid investment is critical, but it brings political risks when these costs show up in end-user bills. “Any public money invested into the grids will move directly into the bills,” Ruby acknowledges. “That’s why we as an industry like to have a market approach to things.”
He warns against excessive reliance on subsidies: “Eventually, the customers or society are going to have to carry that sector and it’s going to be a more and more heavy burden. If instead what we produce is actually being paid directly by the people who benefit from it, there will be a bigger willingness to pay.”
Balancing the Unbalanced: The Dispatchability Dilemma
A defining feature of the current transition is the loss of dispatchable capacity — “the machines that can actually balance the system,” as Ruby puts it. “We have been phasing out, progressively, the dispatchable units… what that means is that the ability to dispatch the system and provide flexibility and balance has diminished somewhat — and in some regions quite significantly.”
The issue is compounded by marginal pricing: “The cheapest source gets dispatched first,” he explains. “That’s great. It’s not so great for the very expensive machine that is critically needed on the grid… that will only run a few hundred hours per year. That machine will not be in the money.”
Hence, the need for capacity mechanisms and targeted incentives from what Ruby calls “the European toolbox.” “We need to deploy that toolbox… capacity mechanisms can play an important role here,” he says.
This also applies to storage, where the current boom in batteries is only part of the equation.
“Battery storage mainly covers the daily flexibility needs. We also increasingly have weekly flexibility needs and seasonal flexibility needs. A battery is not going to cover any of that.”
So what will? “Pumped hydro can solve for longer time frames,” he suggests, “but we also need to be clear about the fact that we need power plants still… for those cold doldrums — the ‘Dunkelflaute’ as they call it in Germany.” ‘Dark wind lull’ in English, is a German term used to describe a period when both wind and sunlight are minimal, resulting in reduced energy generation from solar and wind power
Ruby is blunt about the stakes: “If we pretend that everything is A-OK and we lure all of society into an electric future without actually being able to serve that need, we’re going to have a huge pushback.”
Digitalization and Demand-Side Response: The Missing Links
“We’ll have no chance of balancing the grid without digital solutions,” Ruby insists. He welcomes the rise of AI and smart systems for optimizing consumption and integrating variable supply — but he is equally cautious about the vulnerabilities this creates.
“When we digitalize more, we also provide a broader spectrum for attack by cyber crooks. Unfortunately, this is the new reality.”
On the demand side, Europe is making quiet progress. “For the heavy industry, we actually do have them as an active player already,” he notes. “If you’re not able to clear the market, typically the system operator would pick up the phone and call the big industrial and say: Hey, you need to turn down now.”
But other segments — especially residential and mid-scale commercial — remain underutilized. Smart meters and new retail pricing models will help activate household users. In Denmark, Ruby notes, “the most downloaded app is one that forecasts the day-ahead prices.”
Yet perhaps the most overlooked opportunity is medium-sized industrial players. “Think of all those office buildings with a lot of glass and a lot of AC. Think of supermarket chains with thousands of freezers you could freeze just a little bit more… here’s an opportunity to pull demand and feed it into the system.”
The Strategic Discipline of a Realist
For Ruby, the energy transition isn’t a utopian dream. It’s a project that must survive contact with political inertia, market volatility, and public doubt. He cautions against internal divisions, especially in the EU.
“The geopolitical implications of having such an unnecessary fight [on nuclear or fuel sources] are very serious… Instead of focusing on the objective — fixing the climate challenge — we are bogged down in discussions.”
His appeal is to stay focused, stay united, and stay grounded.
“Let’s tackle the challenges, rather than pointing fingers.”
Ruby’s message to Romania, and all European countries navigating their own transition paths, is clear: electrification is the foundation of a more resilient, independent, and modern energy system. But it must be built with realism, strategic investment, and above all, public trust.
“WATTs Next” is the new podcast by Energynomics dedicated to energy leaders, designed to provide a clear understanding of the people shaping the industry, their visions for the future and emerging challenges. Its main goal is to go beyond standardized answers and delve into the personal and professional perspectives of the interlocutor.
The interviews are structured in three essential directions:
- Shaping a personal and professional profile, providing an authentic picture of the career path and values of the interviewed leader.
- Analysis of the most current topics, to understand what’s next in the industry, what the implications are for companies and consumers, and what we should prepare for.
- Explanation of some essential concepts, by debunking myths and clarifying complex notions for a wider audience.