Fsr Energy & Climate

We sat down for a conversation with FSR Area Directors Jean-Michel Glachant and Matthias Finger in the framework on the 8th Conference on the Regulation of Infrastructures, the School’s annual event which brings together all FSR Areas, namely Energy & Climate, Transport, Telecoms & Media, and Water. This two-day conference took place on 20-21 June 2019, and gathered academics and academically minded practitioners for interactive thematic sessions aimed at identifying the key challenges of digitalisation for traditional network industries; discovering various regulatory approaches to platforms and determining benefit scenarios for consumers and to the platforms themselves. This podcast zooms into the implications for energy and transport.

At the SmartNet Project Final Workshop in Arona, we had the chance to interview Peter Nemcek from Cybergrid, one of the Advisory Board members of the SmartNet project. In this podcast, Peter underlines that the promising results of the SmartNet and its pilot projects prove that we can address the most important issues raised by intermittent renewables and this takes us one big step closer to better coordination between TSO and DSO and the future of energy markets. For more information on the SmartNet Project, visit: http://smartnet-project.eu/

Why testing five different TSO-DSO coordination schemes? In the context of the Horizon2020 SmartNet Project Final Workshop in Arona, the FSR Director, Jean-Michel Glachant interviews Helena Gerard (Vito) on the five coordination schemes analysed by the project to learn more about the SmartNet research and its final outcomes. The SmartNet project aimed to provide optimised instruments and modalities to improve the coordination between the grid operators at national and local level (respectively the TSOs and DSOs) and the exchange of information for monitoring and for the acquisition of ancillary services (reserve and balancing, voltage balancing control, congestion management) from subjects located in the distribution segment (flexible load and distributed generation). For more information, please visit: http://smartnet-project.eu/

What is new about the coordination of TSO and DSO? In the context of the Horizon2020 SmartNet Project Final Workshop in Arona, the FSR Director, Jean-Michel Glachant interviews Norela Costantinescu (ENTSOE) on the theme of TSO-DSO coordination to better understand the implications of the research results achieved by the SmartNet Project and the future steps that will be taken by the INTERRFACE project. The SmartNet project aimed to provide optimised instruments and modalities to improve the coordination between the grid operators at national and local level (respectively the TSOs and DSOs) and the exchange of information for monitoring and for the acquisition of ancillary services (reserve and balancing, voltage balancing control, congestion management) from subjects located in the distribution segment (flexible load and distributed generation). For more information, please visit: http://smartnet-project.eu/

Please note that wind noise appears in the beginning of the podcast. 'In this podcast Daniel Schmerler, Chairman of the Peruvian Supervising and Regulatory Agency for Energy and Mining Investment, reflects on the status of the energy transition in Peru. Daniel tackles the topics of access to the electricity grid, share of variable renewables in electricity, market integration in South America and the development of new interconnectors. He also discusses the need for a general debate on energy as well as the adoption of indicative planning processes in the Peruvian energy sector.'

Colombia continues reforming its electric sector to improve and expand service, reduce vulnerability to climate change and diversify the energy matrix by incorporating more non-conventional renewable sources (including solar, wind and biogas). According to Alexandra Planas - Senior Energy Specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank - "the use of Non-conventional sources of renewable energy has been growing steadily in the last decade, but still only represents one percent of the total energy matrix in Colombia", therefore the reforms are necessary to secure the energy transition in the country and to increase the share of Non-conventional energy to 15-18% by 2031. This podcast was created as a part of the FSR’s Lights on Women initiative in joint partnership with Inter-American Development Bank under the Lights on Women LAC Edition series. Learn more about the Lights on Women LAC Edition here: https://medium.com/lights-on-women/lights-on-women-the-latin-american-and-caribbean-edition-2a0211b1c456 Subsc

At the FSR Global Forum (25-28 March) Piero Carlo dos Reis (FSR), interviewed Mr. Georgios Pantoulis, Deputy Head of Unit “Sustainable Energy, Climate Change” of European Commission DG DEVCO. After a roundtable on Multilateral institutional initiatives with representatives of European Commission DGs, IRENA and UNECA, Piero and Mr. Pantoulis discuss the EU Commission’s goals and activities regarding international energy cooperation. Given the EU 2030 Paris agreement agenda, the European Commission is active in supporting all partner countries through incentives enabling sustainable, affordable, reliable and modern energy services. In particular, this discussion focuses on (1) ‘inclusive development’, ensuring that poor and vulnerable citizens benefit from these interventions, and (2) by being aware of being the main actors of these new developments, society will support the cooperation and further promote sustainability.

On the margins of the 11th edition of the Specialised Training on the Regulation of Gas Markets, Maria Olczak (FSR) and Anne-Sophie Corbeau (Head of Gas Analysis at BP) discuss the 2019 edition of BP Energy Outlook. During the interview, Anne-Sophie presents the key findings of the BP Energy Outlook, specifies the key factors that may influence the forecasted increase in global LNG trade, and concludes with some remarks on the role of gas in the EU energy mix in 2040 perspective.

At the FSR Global Forum (25-28 March) Tim Schittekatte, researcher at the Florence School of Regulation, interviewed Dr Anoop Singh who leads the Centre for Energy Regulation (CER) within IIT Kanpur, India. In this podcast, firstly, it is questioned whether national reforms (i.e. liberalization) is a necessary precondition to allow for regional integration of electricity markets. Dr Singh argues that we do not have to wait for national reforms; these reforms might take too long. A better option is to start with bilateral agreements, which will quickly show benefits. These experiences will quickly illicit interest from other stakeholders which can join the project later. Secondly, it is mentioned that only a minimum set of requirements need to be met to allow for such bilateral electricity trade agreements. National markets may be gradually reformed to increase the benefits of electricity market integration. Finally, Dr Singh explains that currently, India is successfully trading electricity with Nepal, Bhut

Interested in learning more about the Clean Energy Package? Check out our online course: http://bit.ly/CEP_online_course The second day of FSR Global Forum coincided with the day when the new Electricity market Regulation and Electricity market Directive as well as of the Regulations on Risk Preparedness and on ACER were adopted by the European Parliament. This marks the finalisation of the Clean Energy Package negotiations. Dr. Annegret Groebel shares with us her insights on the CEP role in enhancing the functioning of the internal electricity market and reaching climate goals, specifically on the role of regional coordination centres (RCCs); the establishment of the EU DSO entity and its tasks; the updated adoption process for network codes and guidelines.

Interested in this topic? Check out our specialised training on REMIT, designed to provide a critical understanding of how REMIT is currently being implemented and enforced, and equip participants with the necessary tools to anticipate practical issues and ensure compliance. http://bit.ly/2SbvuHt In this podcast, Sohra Askaryar from Baker Botts (Brussels) addresses the recent case before the European Court of Justice, C-15/16 Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht V Ewald Baumeister, which clarifies the definition of confidential information in the context of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) first introduced in 2004 followed by MiFID II and the regulation MiFIR in 2014, effective from January 2018. The case sets out the criteria which national financial regulators must consider to determine if the information they hold on entities under their supervision may be disclosed to third parties. National financial regulators have extensive powers to request information from companies

Digital technologies enable accurate monitoring and controlling of all devices connected to the electricity grid and the relative flows of energy. By doing so, they can harness the untapped potential for flexibility hidden in the system, both on the demand and the supply side, offering a solution to the challenges raised by decentralisation and decarbonisation. This is what aggregators and virtual power plants (VPPs) like Next Kraftwerke do. However, technology is only half of the story: favourable market conditions and an adequate regulatory framework are equally essential to get a sustainable business model.

How can you ensure that a monopoly company behaves in the best interest of consumers when the technological, economic and political landscape is always moving? In this podcast, Nicolò Rossetto (FSR) and Joe Perkins (Ofgem) discuss the British experience with inventive regulation for energy grids. In 2010, Ofgem launched a major reassessment of the regulatory framework for energy grids. The analysis showed how the incentive regulation introduced in the 1990s had both merits and drawbacks. Among the latter, a difficulty to promote investments in innovation was apparent. Building on such analysis, Ofgem decided to change the regulatory framework for grids and adopt RIIO. Far from being a revolution, that move represented a natural evolution of the framework previously in place. Achievements so far have been good, but the oversight effort required from the regulator has been significant and the regulated companies may have benefited more than expected in terms of financial returns. It is for this reason that Of

Today, in Europe electricity prices are determined per (bidding) zone which equals in most cases a country. Under zonal pricing, only transmission capacity limitations between the zones are considered in the market-clearing process. The transmission lines within a zone are assumed to have unlimited capacity. This assumption is more and more challenged; one factor is the changing pattern of network flows due to the integration of renewables. As a result, Europe’s less-than-optimal zonal configuration is becoming a limiting factor for the efficiency of the market integration process. One remedy could be to build more transmission lines. This option is however costly and takes a lot of time. Another remedy could be to redraw the boundaries of the different bidding zones, a so-called bidding zone review. In the extreme, the zones could be determined so small up to the point that each node of the transmission network is priced; this is nodal pricing. With nodal pricing, limitations on all transmission lines are

There is little debate about a charging point in your garage. It is yours. But what about charging points in the street? In this short podcast, Tim Schittekatte interviews Luca Lo Schiavo, Vice-Director Energy Infrastructure and Unbundling at the Italian regulator ARERA. The Italian experience is an interesting case in this regard. Namely, a call for pilot projects was launched to build and operate public EV charging stations between 2011 and 2015. Three possible business models were proposed, which were distinct in terms of the operator (the DSO or a third-party), the number of competing retailers at the recharging infrastructure and the allowed degree of competition between charging stations in a determined area. Want to know more? Please take a look at the recently published book ‘’Electricity Network Regulation in the EU: The Challenges Ahead‎ for Transmission and Distribution’’ edited by Leonardo Meeus and Jean-Michel Glachant: http://fsr.eui.eu/publications/electricity-network-regulation-in-the-eu-t

Is EU gas markets standardization a shortcut to energy transition or an obstacle? Listen to Ilaria Conti (FSR) and Nicolas Peugniez (GRTgaz) reflect on the status of implementation of #gasNetworkCodes and the way ahead towards #decarbonisation

In the context of a FSR workshop on zonal vs. nodal pricing in electricity markets on 25 January 2019, Valerie Reif (FSR) interviews a panellist from the Austrian regulatory authority. Christine Materazzi-Wagner, Director Electricity at E-Control, talks about her personal take-aways from the workshop, the EU target model for electricity and the possibilities of moving towards a nodal approach in Europe. She also shares her views on recent market developments in Austria In the context of the German-Austrian bidding zone split in October 2018.

At the IRENA General Assembly, Swetha Bhagwat (FSR Global) interviews Andris Piebalgs, FSR Part-time Professor and one of the authors of the Global Commission’s Report launched on 11 January in Abu Dhabi. The Report presents the first-ever comprehensive analysis of the far-reaching geopolitical consequences driven by the rapid development of renewable energy and it suggests several areas where international cooperation would help countries to mitigate the emerging risks emerging like cybersecurity, trade in electricity and clean energy technologies, critical materials. More info here: http://fsr.eui.eu/fsr-in-abu-dhabi-for-the-launch-of-new-world-the-geopolitics-of-the-energy-transformation/ Find the report here: http://www.geopoliticsofrenewables.org/

At the IRENA Assembly held in January 2019 in Abu Dhabi, the FSR Director, Jean-Michel Glachant and the Head of FSR Global, Swetha Bhagwat interview Paul Van Son, CEO of DII. What are the real cost levels of renewables (Solar and Wind) today? What should be the next measures to take and what are the roadblocks in policy and regulation? Learn more about the IRENA Assembly here: https://www.irena.org/events/2019/Jan/Ninth-Session-of-the-IRENA-Assembly

FutureGas project looks into the ways the gas sector could be integrated in the Danish energy system and contribute to clean energy transition e.g. through the injection of green gas. The researchers from Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and key stakeholders of the Danish gas industry have been working with 18 international partners (including Florence School of Regulation) to pursue the research on the potential opportunities across the gas value chain. Moreover, the project looks into different national experiences with renewable gas injection and the support systems. This four-year project (2016-2020) is funded by Innovation Fund Denmark. In this podcast, Maria Olczak (FSR) interviews Tara Sabbagh Amirkhizi (DTU) to give you some insights from the project. In the first part, the key information regarding the scope, objectives and the work packages of the project are provided. Then, we discuss how this project fits into the changing policy landscape in Denmark with the adoption of a new 55% renewable