Electricity markets around the world are facing significant challenges from the demand and supply side of the industry. From the supply side, distributed energy resources, usually owned by third parties, are forcing utilities to re-evaluate their business models; while developments in information and communication technologies, such as smart metering and blockchains, are enabling new opportunities for both existing and new players on the demand side. This confluence of factors is driving a transition from the notion of electricity as a traded commodity to an ingredient of an ecosystem that offers a wide range of flexible services – related to electricity consumption or production – that consumers want and are willing to pay.