Professor Rafael Leal-Arcas, Jean Monnet Chair in EU International Economic Law at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), has been invited to present the research of his WiseGRID project at the 4th Renewable Energy Sources – Research and Business conference (RESRB) 2019.
The title of his presentation is: 'A new form of decentralized energy: Lessons from the WiseGRID project.'
The purpose of this article is to provide an analysis of smart grids in the European Union (EU) as a way forward to reach de-centralized sustainable energy. It does so by assessing the energy security, regulatory, as well as social and ethical aspects of smart grids in the EU. The article represents a significant milestone in the up-scaling of the various aspects of smart-grid technology across the EU. This article deals with smart-grids deployment and their impact on energy security with a view to a stronger role of prosumers in the energy market. It also analyzes smart grids regulation; specifically, it examines the existing legal frameworks that impact smart grids in the EU. It outlines existing EU Directives and assesses the level of implementation of these Directives in various EU Member States. The article also assesses the extent to which the existing legal frameworks facilitate the development of smart grids and proposes areas of further regulatory consideration. The article then explores the social and ethical dimension of smart grids in the context of the collaborative economy, the circular economy, and digital technology, including cyber-security and data-management issues.
The WiseGRID project (grant agreement number 731205) is funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.
Download the conference programme [PDF 1,463KB]