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Stuck in Gridlock: Grid Congestion, Flexibility, and the Energy Transition

In early 2024, Sam Towns, the program coordinator of charging infrastructure at the Rotterdam Municipality was hit with shocking news: the regional grid operator announced it wanted to turn off all public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations during peak hours in the afternoon and evening, due to lack of capacity in the electricity grid. Sam knew that the grid could not handle much more load, but this decision would make collaborations on improving grid management even harder. She called an emergency meeting with key stakeholders and decision makers related to EV charging and its impact on the grid. 

This role-play case addresses key issues and challenges in the energy transition, with a focus on EVs and power grid management. Each of the six roles is a key stakeholder and decision maker that contributes to and/or can improve grid management. Over the course of the negotiations, stakeholders try to find common ground on four key decision variables: charging stations, grid upgrades, flexibility options, and grid operator direct control.

Car with a charging port

What I really like about this case is that it clearly reveals the bottlenecks in the energy transition in general, and in grid congestion in particular. Grid congestion is a topic that frequently makes the news. With this case, participants can experience first-hand just how challenging it really is, not only from a technical perspective, but also from a leadership and decision-making point of view.

Malou Kroezen, Managing Director of the Erasmus Centre for Energy Transition

Energy Transition

This case was funded by the Erasmus Centre for Energy Transition (ECET) and developed as part of the Erasmus Energy Transition Case Series.

Learn more about ECET

Executive Summary

Learning Objectives Target Audience Keywords How to use this case Authors Copyright information
Learning Objectives

This role-play explores issues related to the energy transition and power grid management. After participating in the role-play, students will be able to: 

  • Analyse the complexities in the energy transition and grid management through the competing interests of multiple stakeholders.  

  • Critically assess and diplomatically articulate the trade-offs involved in decision making in sustainability challenges, when stakeholder interests are both competing and interconnected.  

  • Develop strategic planning and problem-solving skills by creating a solution that considers technical, economic, and social issues; balances short- and long-term thinking; and is influenced by negotiation outcomes and the formation of coalitions among stakeholders.  

Target Audience

This role-play can be used in pre- and post-experience master’s level courses, as well as executive education. For use with bachelor’s level courses, the instructor should consider more structured preparation for the exercise.

Designed as an inter-disciplinary case, this exercise can be used in both management and law courses:  

  • Management: courses related to (digital) energy transition, business and society, leadership, and public administration. 

  • Law: courses dealing with energy law, public law, administrative law, and environmental law  

To a lesser extent, this case is also suitable for students in scientific faculties such as engineering, especially when applied to more social science courses in those programmes. 

Keywords

Energy transition; stakeholder management; crisis management; sustainability; systems thinking; long-term thinking; grid management; grid congestion; electric vehicles; public management; energy law.

How to use this case

This role-play case includes the following:

  • Teaching Case 

  • Teaching Note (Request via cdc@rsm.nl)

  • Six sets of confidential role guides (Supplementary item, request via cdc@rsm.nl)

Authors

Solange Hai (Senior Case Writer, Case Development Centre, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University)

Linda Punt (PhD Candidate, Department of Technology and Operations Management, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University)

This teaching case was written under the supervision of Dr Yashar Ghiassi-Farrokhfal at the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus University. The authors would like to thank Malou Kroezen, Erasmus Centre for Energy Transition, Erasmus University, whose support was instrumental in making this case possible. They also wish to thank Tao Yue, Managing Editor at RSM’s Case Development Centre, for her guidance and feedback. Additional thanks to Laura Sanaz Kaschny, Maastricht University, and Mirko Camanna, Erasmus School of Law, Erasmus University, for their feedback and input.

Copyright information

The case is based on published sources. It was written to provide material for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management situation. Identifiable information may have been anonymised or altered to protect confidentiality. Fictitious information may have been included and claims may have been exaggerated or simplified from reality to enhance the effect of class discussion. This material was developed with the assistance of AI for presentation and accessibility (formatting of supplementary materials).

Copyright © 2025 RSM Case Development Centre, Erasmus University. No part of this publication may be copied, stored, transmitted, reproduced or distributed in any form or medium whatsoever without the permission of the copyright owner. Please address all correspondence to cdc@rsm.nl