Energy as a commons?
| “ | Energy as a commons? With paradigms new markets and opportunities arising with digitalising in the energy sector and democratising means of production and distribution, how can regulation be designed in such a way that energy systems these markets are equitable and ensure participation across society? | ” |
Contents
The Past: Distributing energy the traditional way
- The traditional power grid
- production - transmission - distribution - consumer
- Electricity takes over other forms of energy (electric cars etc.)
- Russia-EU relations etc. increase uncertainty
- Current European Energy facilities will have to be modernised soon
- Energy trading taking over
- More and more people are installing solar panels on their own
The Future: Smart grids - an outlook to what is possible
The economic dimension
- more efficiency through smart grids
- flexibility through information of residential energy use
- intelligent and flexible grids instead of linear distribution
The societal dimension
- consumers become co-producers
- "energy literacy" goes up
- decentralisation through empowerment of citizens
The technological dimension
- both electricity and information are exchanged
The environmental dimension
- pushing decarbonisation
- Consumers more likely to install renewable sources of energy (e.g. solar panels)
- consumers have a greater influence on the amount of renewable energy used in Europe
The Present: Obstacles to be adressed
How can passive consumers turn into active prosumers? How are EU citizens currently involved in large-scale EU projects such as Connecting Europe Facility?
Questions to be answered in the resolution How can consumers be turned into prosumers? How will power grids, distributed energy etc. be regulated? Who will manage the grid? Should renewable energy sources be in the focus?
The Actors: Who is involved
- EU Commission & DG on Energy
- Member States’ energy ministries and distribution systems
- Connecting Europe Facility
- EU citizens as “prosumers”
Measures in Place: What has been done
What are sources of knowledge EU citizens to look into at the moment? What are microgrids and how do they work?
Clean Energy Package
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-16-3986_en.htm http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-16-3961_en.htm https://ec.europa.eu/commission/priorities/energy-union-and-climate_en
SET-Plan
The European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) aims to accelerate the development and deployment of low-carbon technologies. It seeks to improve new technologies and bring down costs by coordinating national research efforts and helping to finance projects.
TEN-E
The Trans-European Energy Networks (TEN-E) – are programmes set up by the EU for the implementation of the European Single Market. The Trans-European Networks aim at "linking island, landlocked and peripheral regions with the central regions of the community”.
A final outlook
Links for further Research
- https://blog.p2pfoundation.net/energy-as-a-common-good/2017/02/22
- http://energyandcarbon.com/digitalisation-energy-implications/
