The FSR Water & Waste and RENEL Chair from Lorraine University are co-organising an hybrid seminar on Thursday, October 28^th 2021 to present and discuss cases of innovative approaches to the management, regulation and governance of natural resources.

Natural resources (including forests, watersheds, oceans, air, fauna and flora) as well as material resources (non-metallic minerals, biomass, fossil fuels, and metals) produce benefits and services on which human existence depends and are also critical to livelihoods, economic growth, development and well-being. However, human activities are putting unsustainable pressure on these resources, and current trends in biodiversity and ecosystem loss are believed to threaten 80 per cent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets related to poverty, hunger, health, water, cities, climate, oceans and land. Under current population and growth trends, the 2030 Water Resources Group predicts global water demand will exceed available supply by 40 percent by 2030. The demand and use of material resources have been growing over the past century, fuelled by economic and population growth, urbanisation and societal changes. From 1990 to 2017, material use has more than doubled, and is projected to double again by 2060 (OECD, 2019). As a result, pressure on natural resources continues to grow, bringing negative impacts in terms of pollution, ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change. The complex policy issues and difficult choices regarding the management, conservation, and use of natural resources necessitate comprehensive innovative approaches to rejuvenate the management, regulation and governance of natural resources.

Download the final programme

Please note that this event will take place in Florence (by invitation only) and online (open to everyone upon registration).

The seminar is organised in partnership with:

FSR Policy Debate

The European Commission’s ‘Fit for 55’ package probably represents the most ambitious set of legislative proposals ever tabled in the energy and climate change space.

They include the revision of the ETS Directive, the Effort-Sharing Regulation, a new Carbon-Border Tax, a review of the Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Energy Tax Directives, and new initiatives on maritime and air transport.

Industry, as well as the co-legislators, need to understand not only the details of each individual proposal, but equally how they interact – what will be the cumulative effect of the different measures tabled on citizens and industry.

This is far from a simple task. This event seeks to cast some light on this question, and identify where will be the key points of discussion and disagreement in negotiating the package. Together with our panel, we will try to address the question: ‘what do we expect to be the final compromise?’

To stimulate debate Christopher Jones and Andris Piebalgs have drafted an article. Download here

Watch:

#FSRDebates

The focus of this debate series is on policy issues to be discussed by a panel of experts. Learn more about the FSR series.

This FSR talk aims at discussing the purposes, standards, and effects of OECD reports that have assessed energy regulatory agencies in Latin America based on the OECD Performance Assessment Framework for Economic Regulators.

The Talk will focus on three OECD reports on Peru (2019) and Mexico (2017), and Brazil (to be published in October 2021).

What is the purpose of the OECD reports? What are the indicators used by the assessment? What are the effects of these reports on the governance of agencies so far?

When they are created, regulatory agencies are legally entrusted with a specific mission, inserted into a pre-existing, albeit dynamic, institutional setup. Therefore, what they are expected to deliver, as well as the social and institutional context where they will interact and deliver, is known. For optimal regulatory delivery, the governance of regulators is crucial to ensure that regulatory decisions are made on an objective, impartial and consistent basis.

The OECD has developed and released a series of reports assessing the governance of energy regulatory authorities worldwide. These reports apply the OECD Performance Assessment Framework for Economic Regulators to evaluate internal and external governance agencies. The review discusses achievements and good practices, analyses the key drivers of its performance, and proposes an integrated reform package to help the regulator prepare for the future. This is the reason why the OECD reports have gained attention and relevance among the regulatory authorities.

This FSR Talk is hosting the OECD Policy Analyst, Anna Pietikainen, to discuss with our FSR experts three OECD reports on Latin America: Peru (2019) and Mexico (2017), and Brazil (to be published in October 2021). What is the purpose of the OECD reports? What are the indicators used by the assessment? What has been the effects of these reports on the governance of agencies so far?

Guest speaker

Anna Pietikainen – OECD

Discussants

Jorge Vasconcelos – FSR

Lucila de Almeida – FSR

Host

Jean-Michel Glachant – Director FSR

#FSRTalks

Live interviews with experts from the wider network of the school to showcase and discuss a recent work (a book just published, interesting study, innovative project) in a light and interactive way.

Hosts: Prof. Jean-Michel Glachant, Ilaria Conti, Swetha Baghwat

DAY 2: Monday 15 November

Innovation and disruption in the electricity sector

Innovation and disruption are not new in the electricity sector, as we have seen in the last 30 years with open wholesale markets and combined cycle gas turbine power plants, open retail markets and real-time consumption metering. However, today, or tomorrow, we could face many more innovations and disruptions.
On the supply side one can see how renewable intermittent generation, and its low marginal costs, is becoming mainstream; and how storage is increasingly considered as a new important resource for managing the energy system. On the demand side one can see active consumers (as prosumers or prosumagers), new kind of intermediaries (as aggregators or communities), and digital tools of interaction (as sensors, actuators, or platforms).

Technologies are also redrawing the boundaries of the electricity sector, with an increasing electrification of road mobility, homes and buildings’ heating & cooling.
All these novelties call for new business models, from “green majors” to “asset light suppliers”, from “peer-to-peer” to “interactive building managers.” Possibly, the use of a strong carbon tax as the main incentive to fuel the energy transition, instead of targeted technology push by public authorities, might again change the entire landscape.
In these many waves, how will markets adapt, transform or disappear? Will China or Africa define their own ways?

Panel One (10:00-11:00 am Eastern Time)

“Disruption… or New Normal in the Power Sector?”

Moderator: Jean-Michel Glachant

Panellists:

• Karsten Neuhoff
• Fereidoon Sioshansi
• Carolyn Fischer
• Christopher Knittel
• David Reiner

A discussion with audience follows

Panel Two (11:00 am – 12:00 pm Eastern Time)

“Any Future for Markets? Any Market Perfectly Fit for Disruptions?”

Moderator: Michael Pollitt

Panellists:

• Richard Green
• Michael Pollitt
• Ignacio Pèrez-Arriaga
• Vivien Foster
• Xu Yi-chong

REGISTER HERE

Learn more on the topic: Electricity markets in times of (climate) change

This webinar series, jointly organized by the IAEE and the Florence School of Regulation, represents an opportunity to review all the fundamentals needed to have the electricity markets working.

Day 1: Monday 11 October

Electricity Markets Assessment

Open markets for electricity in Europe and the US are approaching the age of 30. Their diversity, be it at the wholesale or the retail level, has never reduced significantly and no common model ever emerged on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Nor it did anywhere else. Today, we are still confronted with several serious stars in the US, such as PJM and Texas, and in Europe, such as the UK and the Nordics. On the top, we should not forget Australia. Surprisingly, only the EU has made, since 2016, a very serious effort of harmonization of market and network rules.

This fascinating debate, always half rational and half self-interested, has restarted to boil since a few years due the spectacular growth of renewables, demand response, storage, and so on and so forth. As the new Handbook on Electricity Markets, recently edited by Jean-Michel Glachant, Paul Joskow and Michael Pollitt, explores in depth.

Panel One (10:00-11:00 am Eastern Time)

“Electricity Markets Assessment: Europe”

Moderator: Jean-Michel Glachant

Panellists:

•  David Newbery
•  Chloé Le Coq
•  Fabien Roques
•  Paul Simshauser

A discussion with audience follows

Panel two (11:00 am – 12:00 pm Eastern Time)

“Electricity Markets Assessment: the US”

Moderator: Catherine Wolfram

Panellists

•  Richard Schmalensee
•  Shmuel Oren
•  Frank Wolak

A discussion with the audience will follow.

REGISTER HERE

The FSR Water and WAREG are holding a joint online event on Wednesday 15 September 2021 to discuss these topics and present concrete examples and outcomes of aggregation processes in selected countries.

Network industries are characterized by increasing yields, and, as such, water and sanitation (WS) utilities that produce larger outputs have on average lower unit costs than utilities that produce smaller outputs. This relationship appears to be present in the WS sector around the globe and is one of the main arguments in favor of utility aggregation, defined as “the process by which two or more service providers consolidate some or all their activities under a shared organizational structure, whether it implies physical infrastructure interconnection or not” (World Bank, 2017). The expectation of cost savings from aggregation is supported by a large number of economic studies since the late 1960s, underlining the potential for economies of scale and scope.

Following these prescriptions, and in an attempt to increase WS services efficiency, many countries in Europe, Africa and Latin America have recently embarked on a reform path to aggregate their WS utilities. Did those aggregation reforms and processes always achieve the expected outcomes? If not, why didn’t the awaited benefits materialize in practice? What are the actual achievements of these reforms? Furthermore, what could be the role of WS regulators in the design, implementation and monitoring of such reforms? These institutions routinely collect key data on utilities that can be of great relevance to inform the design of aggregation in terms of accurate scale and scope, taking into account the local context. Regulatory mechanisms can be used to incentivize aggregation processes implementation. Finally through the regular monitoring of performance indicators, regulators can also provide information on the recorded outcomes and benefits of aggregation. This regular monitoring is a crucial asset to facilitate accountability toward shareholders and customers as improvement can be steadily demonstrated over time.

Find the programme

Deadline for registration is on Monday September 13th, 5pm

Watch the recording

(Passcode: 3pfQYp3^)

Bibliography

World Bank (2017) Toolkit on the Aggregation of Water Supply and Sanitation Utilities

World Bank (2017) Joining Forces for Better Services?: When, Why, and How Water and Sanitation Utilities Can Benefit from Working Together

Klien, Michael (2017) Statistical Analysis: Global Study on the Aggregation of Water Supply and Sanitation Utilities. World Bank, Washington, DC

Aggregation case studies at utility level:

This event is in collaboration with:

This event is the first of a series of webinars jointly organised by the Florence School of Regulation and the Environmental Defense Fund

The upgraded EU 2030 climate goals require at least a 35-37% reduction in methane emissions in the next decade compared to 2005 levels. The upcoming EU legislation will step up and synchronise the actions in the EU in three key areas: Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV), Leak Detection and Repair Programmes (LDAR), and routine venting and flaring. The European Commission is also considering measures to reduce emissions from the imported natural gas.

However, the adoption of new legislation alone does not guarantee a qualitative shift and effective implementation. All actors involved should be well-prepared and motivated. However, a lot could be done even before the legislation comes into force, e.g. by committing to voluntary industry initiatives such as the OGMP2.0. The webinar will address all areas that will be and may be covered by the upcoming EU legislation: from MRV to treatment of the imported gas.

The purpose of the seminar is to identify the areas where further work by the EU, Member States, and the industry may be needed to successfully implement the forthcoming EU legislation, which the EU Commission will present by the end of 2021.

Questions:

• Which EU legal instruments could be the most efficient ones in delivering bold action on mitigation of methane emissions in the energy sector?
• Could we expect a swift agreement on the legislative measures on the European level?
• Are national energy regulators ready for actions on methane emissions?
• What the industry is already doing to reduce methane emissions, and what is it expecting from legislators?

Moderation: Andris Piebalgs, Florence School of Regulation

Welcome

Andris Piebalgs | Florence School of Regulation

Session 1: The perspective of the EU institutions

Kitti Nyitrai | European Commission

Nicolás González Casares | European Parliament

Urška Dolinšek | Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU

Session 2: Regulatory challenges

Marco La Cognata I ARERA/CEER

Klaus-Dieter Borchardt I Baker McKenzie

Karolina Cegir I Energy Community

Session 3: The perspective of the industry

Muhunthan Sathiamoorthy| BP

Francisco de la Flor | Enagás / Gas Infrastructure Europe

Eva Hennig | Thüga / Eurogas

Conclusion

Dagmar Droogsma | Environmental Defense Fund

Related links

Cover the Basics: Methane Emissions

The Upcoming EU Legislation on Methane Emissions (event recording)

Previous events with EDF:

Addressing Methane Emissions  in the context of energy system integration

The Impact of EU Methane Strategy on the Natural Gas Market

The EU Methane Strategy – the case for multilateralism (event highlights)

Policy briefs:

Designing an EU Methane Performance Standard for Natural Gas

Methane emission reduction

How far should the new EU Methane Strategy go?

This Debate will aim at reviewing the current situation with gender participation in the energy sector and at identifying which policies and measures should be pursued to ensure equal opportunities in this sector. It will also address the extent to which affirmative actions could be used to address the current gender imbalance, and how these actions could be compatible with a merit-based approach to entry into the sector.

Background

The energy transition, with the penetration of new processes and technologies, will provide a unique opportunity also to address the current gender imbalance in the energy sector. While gender is increasingly a multi-dimensional notion, the main focus in the energy sector is currently on the male-female composition of the workforce.

Because of the multi-disciplinary dimension, renewable energies and other developments associated with the energy transition (e.g. decentralised energy systems) seem to exert an appeal on women, and provide greater opportunities to them, than the more traditional fossil fuel industry. According to the results of a recent survey carried out by IRENA1, women represent 32% of the full-time employees in the renewable energy sector – substantially higher than the 22% average in the global oil and gas industry. Still, in renewables, women’s participation is much lower in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) jobs than in administration.

Despite the appeal of the new technologies at the basis of the energy transition, women still face persistent barriers to entry, to remain in the workforce, and to advance. Removing these barriers is essential to meet the growing demand for skills in an expanding industry.

Draft Programme

Introduction to the Debate and Opening Presentations

14.00 – 14.05   Introduction to the Debate

Alberto Pototschnig | Florence School of Regulation

14.05 – 14.15   Opening address

Paula Abreu Marques | Head of Unit, Interinstitutional and Member States, European Commission

14.15 – 14.25   The energy transition: a gender perspective

Rabia Ferroukhi| Director, Knowledge, Policy and Finance Centre, IRENA

Panel Discussion: Introductory Remarks, Polls and Comments

Moderators:

Ilaria Conti | Florence School of Regulation

Alberto Pototschnig | Florence School of Regulation

14.25 – 14.50   Introductory remarks from the panellists
Silvia Manessi |Head of HR, ACER
Jennie Stephens | Director of the School of Public Policy and Urban Affair, Northeastern University

14.50 – 14.55   Polls

14.55 – 15.15   Comments on the polls outcome and Q&A from the audience
Panellists

15.20 – 15.30   The FSR Energybase project and Concluding remarks
Elena Iorio | Florence School of Regulation
Alberto Pototschnig | Florence School of Regulation

#FSRDebates

Hosts: Leigh Hancher and Alberto Pototschnig (FSR)

The focus of this series is on recent court cases, regulatory decisions, EU legislation, or public consultations to be discussed by a panel of experts.

This event will be live-streamed and recorded. Highlights and presentations will be made available online.

While air traffic levels have increased compared to Spring and Summer 2020, recovery is still slow and full of uncertainty. According to the last EUROCONTROL’s forecast, the most likely recovery scenario is that by the end of 2021, traffic will only have recovered to 72% of 2019 levels and it will only get close to pre-pandemic levels by 2025[1].

On 19 March 2020, the Commission adopted a Temporary Framework for State Aid measures, which is based on Article 107(3)(b)TFEU and complements other possibilities available to Member States to mitigate the social-economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak in line with EU State aid rules, notably the possibility under Article 107(2)b TFEU to compensate specific companies or specific sectors for the damages directly caused by exceptional occurrences, such as the coronavirus outbreak.

The 17th Florence Air Forum, co-organised by the Transport Area of the Florence School of Regulation together with the European Commission’s DG COMP’s Directorate F, will examine the hard impact of Covid-19 on the air sector and will explore possible ways-forward to ensure its recovery. More specifically, the main objective is to analyse whether special needs exist in the short-term/mid-term period, until the Aviation Guidelines are reviewed.

Session A of the forum is dedicated to investment aid and support to green investments of airports and airlines.  The European Green Deal calls for a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions generated by all transport modes, in order for the EU to become a climate-neutral economy by 2050. The 2030 Climate Target Plan and the 2020 Commission’s Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy require that aviation does its part in achieving climate neutrality by 2050.

To meet the objectives of the Green Deal, it is important that the aviation sector continues investing in green projects (such as the purchase of cleaner aircrafts, the improvement of environmental performance of airport buildings, the development of recharging or refuelling infrastructure for cleaner aircrafts, the development of multimodal hub and facilities, etc.), both in the short-term despite the current difficulties generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the longer term.

The Commission is currently proposing to include the aviation sector (and more generally the transport sector) in the scope of the new Climate, Environmental protection and Energy Aid Guidelines (CEEAG).  Specifically, it is proposed to open the possibility for this sector to benefit from environmental aid under the same horizontal conditions as all other sectors.

Last but not least, on 24 June 2021, the Biden administration announced a $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, out of which $25 billion investments will be allocated to airports, to promote clean transportation infrastructure and resilience to the changing climate. What is the European answer to the same compelling issue?

Session B focuses on operating aid to regional airports. The Aviation Guidelines (AG) were adopted in 2014 and set out the conditions under which member states and local authorities can grant state aid to airports and airlines in the EU.

Although operating aid is very distortive, the 2014 AG allow such aid for small airports for a transitional period of 10 years, in view of the important role that these airports play for regional connectivity, and of the difficulties faced by those airports to adjust their business model to increased market competition. Thus, once the transitional period expires on 3 April 2024, no operating aid will be authorised under the AG. This transitional provision relied on the assumption that market changes promoted by the AG would have allowed airports to adjust and cover their costs by the end of the transitional period. Unprofitable airports were supposed to close, thereby reducing overcapacity in the market.

However, in the context of a comprehensive policy evaluation of the State Aid Modernisation (SAM) package (“Fitness Check”) launched in 2019, the Commission found that the phasing out of operating aid to small airports is likely to create difficulties for small airports (less than [500 000 – 700 000] passengers) because many of them will not be capable to cover their operating costs by 2024.

Second, the pandemic has heavily hit the aviation sector, especially small and medium airports, which are characterized by high fixed operating costs, no cash reserves and very low activity. Thus, certain airports, which were on the path of profitability before the crisis, are now unlikely to be able to cover their operating costs as of 2024. The main question is for how long the regional airports might need public support?

Session C elaborates on the connectivity needs. Air connectivity is an essential component of the European Single Market, as it can foster cross-border trade, promote economic growth and European integration. While certain routes might not be viable on their own, their existence might be needed to ensure connectivity. Therefore, the AG foresee a possibility to grant State support for start-up routes and regional airports, and that is why State support can be granted under rules on public services obligations (“PSOs”) for routes that are genuinely in the public interest. However, in practice, the provisions of the AG on start-up aid have been rarely used by Member States. The rules governing PSOs are also interpreted very restrictively.

Furthermore, the COVID-19 outbreak had a deep impact on the aviation sector, and concerns have been expressed that it could lead to a substantial loss of air connectivity.  This raises the question of the opportunity to: (i) in the short-term, adopt a temporary set of rules to restore connectivity after the COVID-19 outbreak; and/or (ii) in the mid- and long-term, adjust existing rules on start-up aid.

Session D is dedicated to the timely topic of remedies in mergers. A new round of consolidation in the industry can be expected as a result of the financial difficulties of many airlines. In order to protect competition, effective remedies have to be identified.

[1] https://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/2021-05/eurocontrol-four-year-forecast-2021-2024-full-report.pdf

Please kindly note that participation in this forum is by-invitation only.

SPEAKERS’ PRESENTATION SLIDES:

Juan Montero – Florence School of Regulation Transport Area

Teodora Serafimova – Florence School of Regulation Transport Area

Niamh McCarthy – International Airlines Group

Henrik Morch – DG COMP

Bastiaan de Bruijne – ACI Europe

Carlos Neves Almeida – Portugália Airlines

Bernhard Persch – German Airports Association

Juan-Jesús García-Sánchez – Amadeus IT

Solene Flahault -European Regions Airline Association

Delphine Grandsart – European Passengers’ Federation

Henrik Morch – DG COMP

Emmanuel Mounier -EU Travel Tech

The new season of FSR Insights starts with a conversation with the editors of the recently published Handbook of Electricity Markets: Prof. Jean-Michel Glachant (FSR Director), Prof. Paul L. Joskow, (MIT), and Prof. Michael G. Pollitt (Judge Business School, University of Cambridge).

With twenty-two chapters written by leading international experts, the handbook represents the most detailed and comprehensive overview on electricity markets ever published, covering wholesale and retail; renewable electricity sources; the electrification of mobility, heating, and cooling; and recent innovations such as distributed generation, electrical energy storage, demand response and digital platforms that are disrupting the industry.

Before joining the events, watch our pills!

Paul Joskow on US electricity markets:

Jean-Michel Glachant on the review of EU electricity markets:

Michael Pollit on adapting to new technologies and new policy priorities:

Jean-Michel Glachant on the review of innovation waves:

Do you have any questions for our speakers?

You can now submit them in advance!

Hosts:

Leonardo Meeus, FSR

Lucila de Almeida, FSR

Speakers:

Jean-Michel Glachant, Director, Florence School of Regulation, European University Institute

Paul L. Joskow, Elizabeth and James Killiam Professor of Economics and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Michael G. Pollitt, Professor of Business Economics, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge

Discussants:

Valerie Reif, Florence School of Regulation

Swetha Baghwat, Florence School of Regulation

#FSRInsights

The new season of the FSR Insights will feature world-class academics from the energy field, as well as the FSR research team members in the role of discussants, to investigate timely energy topics and future scenarios.

More about the handbook on electricity markets

The Handbook edited by covers all dimensions of electricity markets.

Find more

Contributors include: Kenneth Anderson, Ross Baldick, Kathryne Cleary, Bentley C. Clinton, Gabrielle Dyson, Anton Eberhard, Mathilde Fajardy, Carolyn Fischer, Vivien Foster, Jean-Michel Glachant, Richard Green, William W. Hogan, Grégoire Jacquot, Paul L. Joskow, Christopher R. Knittel, Thomas-Olivier Léautier, Chloé Le Coq, Stephen Littlechild, Nils May, Kostantinos Metaxoglou, Divyam Nagpal, Karsten Neuhoff, David Newbery, Shmuel S. Oren, Karen Palmer, Ignacio J. Pérez-Arriaga, Michael Pollitt, David M. Reiner, Fabien Roques, Richard Schmalensee, Eric Schubert, Sebastian Schwenen, Paul Simshauser, Fereidoon Sioshansi, Robert Stoner, Frank A. Wolak, Xu Yi-chong.

Background

Against the backdrop of the European Green Deal and the recently published ‘Fit for 55’ Package, the basic infrastructures will have to become more sustainable over the course of their entire lifecycles, i.e., from design to building, maintenance, operations and eventual decommissioning. Digitalisation, of course, will have a key role to play in advancing this objective, for instance, by optimising capacity utilisation, thus reducing needs for physical infrastructure expansion.

While rendering infrastructures climate-proof will take different forms across the various network industries, all of them will have to confront a set of critical questions pertaining to regulatory policy, financing and taxation, among others. In view of this, the first edition of the FSR Sustainability Conference will tackle these questions in respect to transport and energy infrastructures.

Format

The first day of the conference (22 June), to be held fully online, will be devoted to the presentation and discussion of 13 academic papers addressing the above-mentioned questions pertaining to the regulatory, financing and taxation measures that aim at decarbonising the basic infrastructures either alone or preferably in a systemic way, linking theory and practice. Attendance to this first day will be open to the public. The best papers, selected by the Scientific Committee, will qualify for publication in the Journal Competition and Regulation in Network Industries (SAGE) as 3-4- special issues.

The second day (23 June), which is planned as a physical event at the premises of the European University Institute, will take the form of a Florence Policy Forum, bringing together high-level officials from the European Commission, regulators, industry experts and renowned academics. The authors of the 3 “best papers”, as evaluated by the Scientific Committee, will be invited to deliver a short 10-minutes input presentation reflecting on the main findings of their paper during the Policy Forum. This second day will be under Chatham house rules whereas participation will be by invitation only.

Target audience

This new FSR Conference will bring together academics (in particular Junior Professors and Postdocs), high-level practitioners (mostly from the FSR donor community), and European Commission officials (in particular representing DG MOVE, CLIMA, and ENER).

List of selected authors and titles of their papers

• Astier, N., Rajagopal, R., and Wolak, F. A.: “Can distributed intermittent renewables generation reduce future grid investments? Evidence from France”
• Campos de Andrade, A. L.: “Decarbonisation: climate governance challenges for policies, plans, and projects in the Brazilian transportation sector“
• Cardinale, R.: “From natural gas to hydrogen: Upgrading existing transnational energy infrastructure connecting North Africa to Europe“
• Daly, A., Erdogan, S. E., Gill, G., Tetley-Brown, L., and Wallis, T.: “Decarbonisation through Digitalisation? The Benefits and Challenges of Digitalising (Renewable) Energy Infrastructures in Scotland“
• Iweh, C. D., Semassou, G. C., and Ahouansou, R.: “Sustainability of Renewable Energy Electrification Projects in Cameroon: Technical, Institutional and Policy Perspective“
• Klaaßen, L., and Steffen, B.: “Fit for 55? Contrasting green infrastructure investment needs in Europe with the EU’s sustainable finance strategy“
• Lauri, C.: “Recovery and Resilience of the Energy sector through Energy Communities. Promises and Perils“
• Major, M., and Massuma, M.: „Infrastructure investment for sustainable, low carbon transport services in the EU”
• Nascimento Souza, M., Karlein, J., Caterino Yáñez, C., Luxa, A., Jöres, N., and Lichtenberg, G.: “Influence of full load hour regulation on the LCOH and hybrid energy system sizing in Germany“
• Lanz, L., Noll, B., Schmidt, T. S., and Steffen, B.: “Reducing the levelized cost of electric vehicle charging infrastructure – Comparative policy options to accelerate the low-carbon mobility transition in Europe”
• Ovaere, M., and Proost, S.: “Cost-effective reduction of fossil energy use in the European transport sector”
• Ruhnau, O., and Schiele, J.: „System-friendly green hydrogen“

Conference timeline

• Submission of the abstract by 1st November 2021 
• Notification of acceptance by November 15^th, 2021
• Submission of the full paper by March 31^st, 2022; participants who fail to submit a full paper by this deadline will be automatically removed from the programme;
• Conference on 22-23 June 2022 in hybrid form (Florence, Italy, and Zoom).

The best papers will qualify for fast-track publication in the Journal Competition and Regulation in Network Industries, and their authors will be invited to a discussion Forum with representatives of the European Commission.

Submission of the abstract

• Step 1: Download the Obligatory Abstracts Submission Template
• Step 2: Fill in all required fields: Introduction and Purpose of the Study; Research Design and Expected Results; Keywords. Please pay attention to the word limit!
• Step 3: Fill in the registration form online and enclose the submission template (see Step 2).

For any issues regarding the submission, please contact Ms Teodora Serafimova at FSR.Transport@eui.eu

Organising Committee

• Prof Simone Borghesi (EUI, Part-time professor and Director of the Climate Area of the FSR; Siena University, Professor)
• Prof Matthias Finger (EUI, Part-time professor and Deputy Director of the Transport Area of the FSR)
• Prof Jean-Michel Glachant (EUI, Robert Schuman Chair, Director of the FSR, Director of the Energy Area of the FSR, Holder of the Loyola de Palacio Chair)
• Prof Alberto Pototschnig (EUI, Executive Deputy Director, World of Practice)

FSR is pleased to invite you to the last episode of #FSRDebates of the season.

In a recent paper by Professor Belmans and Piero Carlo Dos Reis entitled “Electrification and sustainable fuels: competing for wind and sun“, the authors seek to answer a simple question: “will we have enough renewable electricity to meet all of the EU’s decarbonisation objectives, and, if not, what should be the priorities and how to address the remaining needs for energy towards carbon neutrality? ”

The findings are important food for thought for policy-makers and industry.

In this online debate, we seek to look into this issue in more depth; following the presentation of the study by Professor Belmans, a leading Panel will seek to draw conclusions from the findings – or indeed challenge them.

They will answer questions such as ‘what should the response of the EU be to these findings?’, ‘should Member States National Energy and Climate Plans be revised, if so when and how?’, and, as a matter of fact ‘will there be enough renewable electricity to meet electrification, transport, buildings, and industry needs – including from hydrogen- and if not, what to do?

Agenda

9.30 -9.40 Introduction Christopher Jones & Andris Piebalgs

9.40-10.00 Presentation of the study Ronnie Belmans, KU Leuven

10.00-10.30 Panel Debate

Giles Dickson, WindEurope

Aurélie Beauvais, SolarPower Europe (TBC)

Francisco Boshell, IRENA

10.30-10.45 Q&A with the audience

10.45-12.00 Concluding remarks Aleksandra Tomczak, European Commission

#FSRDebates

The focus of this debate series is on policy issues to be discussed by a panel of experts. Learn more about the FSR series.