DESCRIPTION:

The energy transition is an absolute necessity, but we often forget it or keep it on the back burner when discussing security of supply (SoS) and, in particular, the fear of supply disruption. On the road to net zero and in a net-zero energy system, security of supply will remain as crucial as today - if not more - although it will likely show up in different ways and use other tools. While it is challenging to rethink SoS in this new framework, the opportunities for the energy transition are just as numerous. Regulators should contribute to the development of an energy system that ensures SoS as an outcome of the system rather than viewing it as a separate service requiring extra remuneration.

KEY QUESTIONS:

1) What knee-jerk reactions should be avoided in a supply crisis (because they are counter-productive in the medium to long term), and which tools are there that reinforce both SoS and the energy transition?

2) How can the energy systems of the present and the future marry SoS and the energy transition?

3) How can energy regulation harness the potential of energy efficiency towards SoS?

4) What role do prosumers and micro-generation play?

5) What market model could give the right signals for net-zero SoS in the long term (investments) and the short term (supply)? How to avoid that our energy systems are slowly overwhelmed by subsidies and support payments?

DESCRIPTION:

Energy regulators around the world are increasingly focused on connectivity and integration, especially in the context of developing regional energy markets. Regional energy markets play an important role in improving the energy security of countries by bolstering the resources and systems beyond local or national borders. They also help ensure that consumers receive reliable and affordable electricity while promoting increased use of clean energy resources. As new investors and traders enter the markets, it behooves energy regulators to promote coordinated regulatory frameworks to facilitate investments and increased access. This session will discuss key regulatory concepts and structures that various state-level regulators in the U.S. have developed with each other and with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). It will further examine the strong role that regulators can play in promoting regional market integration with a case study from Southeast Europe. Just as utilities have significantly increased their coordination efforts to address efficiencies, especially in regional transmission organizations (RTOs), regulators have, likewise, developed a number of working-level systems to strengthen the regional regulatory frameworks.

DESCRIPTION:

Universal energy access by 2030 is one of the United Nation's sustainable development goals. 

According to the World Bank, "globally, the number of people without access to electricity declined from 1.2 billion in 2010 to 759 million in 2019, with decentralized electrification solutions gaining relevance through the use of renewable energy."

Increasing attention is being paid to micro-grids as they can be connected to a central grid and use its services. Furthermore, microgrids are seen as a way to help rural communities and developing countries to provide energy access solutions. Moreover, they are more resilient systems as they can be island off from the central grid and be deployed at a several different scales (e.g., from a single building to an entire municipality). 

KEY QUESTIONS:

1) What role will microgrids play in achieving universal energy access?

2) Aside from microgrids, what other viable solutions should be considered to achieve greater access?

3) How close are we to achieving the goal of ennergy access by 2030? And how has the pandemic affected this goal?

4) How will renewables help to accelerate progress towards greater access? What types of regulatory reforms are needed? 

5) In what ways should regulators be pushing utilities? How can we [regulators] encourage market-driven reforms?