Europe stands at a market design crossroad
Changes need to be made to how electricity markets are managed so that they can handle the pace of the energy transition, but there is little consensus about what tweaks are actually required
Regulators and lawmakers have to make a number of difficult choices to design an effective market
SPLIT MOVES Greek regulators proposed splitting renewables and gas markets, to a lukewarm reception
JOIN HANDS Cross-border grid buildout and more interconnectors
would make the energy market work better
KEY QUOTE We have to adapt it to the new realities of dominant renewables ...
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Spring/Summer 2023
The electricity sector has come a long way since many of the rules that govern it were written. Distributed energy resources, battery storage and electric vehicles had not yet appeared on the scene when the regulations and frameworks that dictate how power is produced, transmitted and consumed were put in place
A question of market control
Grids need to accommodate a host of new and variable low-carbon assets, but who should manage how they operate and what they get paid remains a thought exercise despite the changes already happening
Prioritise electrification for efficient energy transition
EU leaders need to get serious about electrification if Europe is to decarbonise in line with the commitments of the Paris climate agreement and bring about economic benefits for consumers, say signatories of The Electrification Alliance, launched in Brussels this week
Using trade measures for climate gain
Europe is considering taking the bold step of introducing a border carbon adjustment tariff on goods imported from regions where carbon pricing is lacking, placing trade right in the middle of its climate ambitions
The EU cannot ‘go it alone’ on Border Carbon Adjustments
Border carbon adjustments (BCAs) are technically difficult to design and politically challenging to implement. If BCAs are going to succeed, the European Union (EU) will need to engage trade partners from the start, says E3G’s Johanna Lehne
The EU’s new trade weapon
Decarbonising is easy when a regulator can set rules and regulations for the territory it oversees. But how do you convince other countries or regions to go green? A new hybrid trade and climate superweapon recently created by the EU aims to solve that conundrum. Get ready for the CBAM
A systems approach to the energy transition
This week, DNV’s CEO of Energy Systems Ditlev Engel joins Watt Matters to talk about energy systems thinking and why a holistic approach is needed to make the energy transition happen
The energy transition needs a new definition of pretty
Current policies around the energy transition place emphasis on the democratisation of power generation and the rise of prosumers. But while the energy system of the future may be decarbonised and digital, it will also be less decentralised than we envisage, say Thomas Boermans and Michael Stautz of E.ON
An efficient transition
The energy transition is not simply a matter of replacing fossil fuels with zero-carbon alternatives. It will also be marked by a radical change in our relationship with energy and the spread of technologies like heat pumps and electric vehicles that can yield significant efficiency gains even before traditional energy savings measures come into play
An attractive profession
Europe has set ambitious objectives in its energy transition, but the continent risks not having the workforce to make it happen
A market fit-for-purpose
This week, Jan, Michaela and David are joined by Jorge Vasconcelos, chair of New Energy Solutions (NEWES) and part of the Florence School of Regulation. Jorge tells us how electricity market design is essential in getting clean energy to where it is needed