In this Debate we focus on the most appropriate regulatory regime for the infrastructure connecting offshore wind parks  to land. In particular, we will assess:

• Whether this infrastructure should be considered as a connection infrastructure for the wind farm or a network element subject to third party access obligations, or a direct line?
• Whether the regulatory treatment of this infrastructure depends on the distance of the wind park from shore or on the fact that the wind park is connected to more than one country and therefore its connection infrastructure could also be used as an interconnector between different countries;
• To what extent the exemption conditions set out in Article 63(1) of the Electricity Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2019/943) could apply to this infrastructure if were not to be considered aa new ‘interconnector’?  What scope is there for national policy?

Watch the recording:

Programme

Introduction to the Debate | Leigh Hancher | Florence School of Regulation and Tilburg University

The offshore strategy | Joachim Balke | DG ENER

Regulatory Principles for a Meshed Offshore Grid | Pradyumna Bhagwat | Florence School of Regulation

Panel discussion moderated by Alberto Pototschnig | Florence School of Regulation

Introductory remarks
Carsten Smidt | DUR (Danish NRA) 
Dirk Van Hertem |KU Leuven
Anders Skanlund  | ENTSO-E
Ursula Prall | Becker Büttner Held, Hamburg

Polls for the audience and comments on the outcome

Joachim Balke | DG ENER, European Commission

Concluding remarks

Leigh Hancher | Florence School of Regulation and Tilburg University
Alberto Pototschnig | Florence School of Regulation

#FSRDebates

The focus of the debate series is on recent court cases, regulatory decisions, EU legislation, or public consultations to be discussed by a panel of experts. Learn more about the FSR series.

Peer-to-peer energy

Decarbonisation, decentralisation and digitalisation are reshaping the way electricity is produced, traded and consumed. New energy models are emerging, and with them, new opportunities as well as unprecedented challenges.

In this online event, we will explore the barriers to the development of peer-to-peer energy, including the legal ones.

Panel

• Leonardo Meeus (FSR/Vlerick Business School)
• Lucila de Almeida (FSR/Wageningen University)
• Nicolò Rossetto (FSR)
• Saskia Lavrijssen (Tilburg University)
• Cristoph Burger (ESMT Berlin)

This interactive session will include a Q&A and polls for the audience.

The event will be recorded and live-streamed on our social media channels.

#FSRInsights

The series focuses on the insights from the FSR research.  These online events will give the FSR researchers the chance to share our research findings and to collect feedback on ongoing research by engaging with the audience and invited experts.

Learn more about the new FSR series

Sign up to our email list to get notified about our upcoming events.

More on the topic

Peer-2-peer in the electricity sector : an academic compass in the making

Between new trading platforms and energy communities

Highlights from the Global Observatory on peer-to-peer energy trading, community self-consumption and transactive energy models

In its role of EU Commission’s Knowledge Partner for the Madrid Forum, FSR organises two online Debates devoted to Guarantees of Origin.

This first Debate will look at the extent to which Guarantees of Origin could be used as the common basic instrument to support renewable gases. 

Watch the recording:

The achievement of the European Union’s ambitious environmental targets requires a massive increase in the generation from renewable energy sources, both in the electricity and gas sectors. In particular, the gas sector will no longer play a role only as a back-up for renewable electricity generation, but also as a conveyor of “green” molecules.

More generally, as the renewable penetration target could be achieved with different mixes of technologies and renewable energy vectors (renewable electricity, renewable gases, biomass, etc.), an approach is needed which promotes the achievement of the target at least cost. And the need for least-cost solutions will be greater the more ambitious the renewable target becomes.

The EU Strategy for Energy System Integration, released in July this year, calls for a “more ‘circular’ energy system, with energy efficiency at its core, in which the least energy intensive choices are prioritised”. A holistic approach to deliver overall efficiency in achieving the renewables penetration target requires a “common currency” which provides a consistent (price) signal against which the cost of different technologies and renewable vectors can be assessed.

This online event is part of a study commissioned to the Florence School of Regulation (FSR) by the Directorate-General for Energy of the European Commission. The second debate of this series is taking place on November 6^th.

Agenda

Introduction to the Debate

Alberto Pototschnig | Florence School of Regulation
Antonio Lopez-Nicolas | European Commission

The enhanced role of Guarantee of Origin for the support of decarbonised gases

Ilaria Conti | Florence School of Regulation

Introductory Remarks

Gerrit Volk| BNetzA
James Watson | Eurogas
Stephan Kamphues | ENTSOG
Els Brouwers | IFIEC
Doug Wood | EFET

Live polls with the audience
11.55 – 12.20 Comments on the polls outcome and Q&A from the audience

Concluding remarks
Antonio Lopez-Nicolas| European Commission
Alberto Pototschnig | Florence School of Regulation

EU Hydrogen Strategy

The regulation of hydrogen infrastructure

In the first debate of the series, we will aim to tackle the fundamental question of whether the future hydrogen infrastructure will inevitably exhibit similar features to the natural gas and electricity networks and should be regulated in a similar way.

Watch the recording:

In this context, we will try to address the following questions:

• Should regulation disincentivise parallel delivery networks, reserving a preference for existing TSOs to replace/upgrade existing networks or should regulation foster competing networks?
• Will the hydrogen network necessarily exhibit the same ‘essential facility’ features – i.e. that it not easily or economically duplicated and tends to be a natural monopoly – so that access conditions and tariffs need to be regulated?
• Should the regulation follow the same approach as for gas? Ex ante regulation as opposed to ex-post tariff control?

#FSRDebates

The event will be hosted by the FSR Energy Union Law Director, Leigh Hancher.

Programme:

14.00 – 14.05   Introduction to the Debate

Alberto Pototschnig | Florence School of Regulation

14.05 – 14.15   The EU Hydrogen Strategy

Tudor Constantinescu | DG ENER, European Commission

14.15 – 14.25   The Hydrogen Sector cost structure

Piero Dos Reis | Florence School of Regulation

Panel Discussion: Introductory Remarks, Polls, and Comments

Moderator:  Leigh Hancher | Florence School of Regulation and Tilburg University

14.25 – 14.45    Introductory remarks
Christopher Jones| Florence School of Regulation
Jorgo Chatzimarkakis | Hydrogen Europe 
Stephan Kamphues | ENTSOG
Anneke Francois | ACM (Dutch NRA)

14.45 – 15.20    Polls and Q&A from the audience

15.20 – 15.30    Concluding remarks

Tudor Constantinescu | DG ENER, European Commission
Leigh Hancher | Florence School of Regulation and Tilburg University
Alberto Pototschnig | Florence School of Regulation

More about the FSR series

Started in September 2020, the new FSR series cover a wide range of topics and formats to meet the changing needs of the energy sector and the interests of our audience, across cutting-edge research, regulatory debate, and policy dialogue.

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

Hosts: Prof. Leigh Hancher and Prof. Alberto Pototschnig

In conversation with K.D. Borchardt

The European Commission proposes to increase the EU’s 2030 emissions reduction target from 40% to at least 55%.

Read the highlights

Watch the recording:

What does it mean for the energy sector? What needs to be done additionally to the adopted Clean Energy for all European Package? How COVID-19 pandemic could influence the pathway to this target?

We will discuss it with the Deputy Director-General, DG Energy, Klaus-Dieter Borchardt.

The 45′ event will be hosted by the FSR Professors Andris Piebalgs and Christopher Jones.

#FSRConversations

Hosts: Prof. Andris Piebalgs and Prof. Christopher Jones

Each month, the series of conversations will feature leading actors and policymakers of the European and global energy landscape, interviewed by FSR with the key role of our audience that will be enabled to submit questions in advance.

Learn more about the new FSR series

From September 2020, every Wednesday. All the events will be freely accessible upon registration. The events will take place on Zoom and on our social media channels.

Stay in touch

Sign up to our email list to get notified about our upcoming events.

Please contact Chiara Canestrini if you have suggestions for a future event of the series, or would like to partner with us.

Join FSR Global and the IAEE to examine the impact of COVID on the power sectors in emerging economies and actions for recovery.

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy as well as the society has been unprecedented. In these troubling times of ‘social distancing’ and ‘working from home’, the centrality of electricity in powering our current and future societies is more evident than ever before.

However, the power sector also is not immune to the adverse effects of the pandemic. The long-term impact of the current situation would only become apparent with time. While emerging economies continue to grapple with controlling the pandemic, policymakers have taken note of the fallout on the power sector and have started working on an action plan for a quick recovery.

This webinar brings together leading experts from different emerging economies to provide insights on the similarities and divergence in the impact of COVID-19 on their power sectors as well as debate possible learning and synergies on post-COVID-19 recovery actions.

Webinar in collaboration with FSR Global and the International Association for Energy Economics.

Seats are limited, sign up to ensure a spot! After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

More on COVID:

Flexibility in electricity markets and networks

The EU Clean Energy Package includes many new provisions related to the use of flexibility in electricity markets and networks, and the EU debate on flexibility is accelerating in the last weeks:

• EC consultation on flex network code
• CEER report on flexibility gives the latest policy and regulatory thinking on the topic

In this event, we will share the latest FSR insights on the flexibility debate.

Watch the recording:

We will be focusing on issues like:

• • If we curtail demand to solve grid congestion, what is the correct level of compensation?
  • If we make distribution network tariffs increasingly cost-reflective, will that increase or decrease the potential of demand-side flexibility procurement?
  • How far do we want to go in flexibility market product standardization, technology neutrality, and locational tagging?

Panel

The event will also include a panel of regulators who will share their country perspectives on these topics.

• Jørgen Tjersland (NVE-RME)
• Pauline Ottoy (VREG)

This interactive session will include a Q&A and polls for the audience.

The event will be recorded and live-streamed on our social media channels.

Key references:

• The economics of explicit demand-side flexibility in the distribution grid, by Athir Nouicer, Leonardo Meeus, Erik Delarue
• Flexibility markets: Q&A with project pioneers , by Tim Schittekatte and Leonardo Meeus
• Project INTERRFACE

We acknowledge the financial support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 project INTERRFACE (grant agreement No 824330).

FSR talk: the future of electricity utilities

In the first online event of the series, the FSR Director, Jean-Michel Glachant will interview Ahmad Faruqui, Principal at Brattle Group in San Francisco.

Watch the recording

Dr. Faruqui has over 40 years of experience working on issues related to customer engagement, including rate design, load flexibility, distributed energy resources, demand forecasting, and electrification.

The topic of this debate is “The Future of Utilities”. Challenged by decentralized energy resources and storage, plus smarter consumption management via advanced digitalization, what businesses are to replace GrandMa “Integrated Utility’?

Ahmad will set the tune from the US. Clara Poletti (Italian regulator) will question Ahmad from the EU landscape. Stephen Littlechild (founding father of western retail competition) from a non-EU landscape (UK, Canada, New-Zealand, Australia). Swetha Bhagwat (Head of FSR Global) from the Indian and non-Western World.

A Q&A with the audience will take place after the interview. You may submit questions in advance in the registration form.

The event will take place on Zoom and it will be live-streamed on our social media channels.

#FSRTalks

Launching in September 2020, the #FSRTalks series will cover a wide range of topics to meet the changing needs of the energy sector and the interests of our audience, across cutting-edge research, regulatory debate, and policy dialogue.

Our hosts,  Jean-Michel Glachant, Ilaria Conti, Swetha Baghwat, will conduct 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 an interactive way.

More about our online series

The Florence School of Regulation is launching four new series that will take our online events to the next level, improving their accessibility and the quality of your experience: FSR talks, FSR insights, FSR conversations, and FSR debates.

From September 2020, every Wednesday 

All the events will be freely accessible upon registration. The events will take place on Zoom and on our social media channels. The recording and presentations will always be made available.

The Conference on the Regulation of Infrastructures is the annual event that brings together all the Areas of the Florence School of Regulation.

This year’s FSR Annual Conference, which will take place on 10th and 11th June 2021, will focus on ‘Infrastructure Investment Challenges: reconciling Competition, Decarbonisation and Digitalisation’.

Investment has always been a challenge in the network industries. Since the 1990s liberalisation has exacerbated this challenge, owing to the different time horizons between the interests of the private sector, the long-term nature of the infrastructure assets and their public service nature. Climate change and the need to decarbonise the infrastructures, as well as the recent focus on digitalisation have only added to the investment challenges in the different network industries.

How can we ensure investments in the context of competition, decarbonisation and digitalisation? What should be the role of governments and that of the private sector? How should the right incentives be set? These are some of the questions that the 10th FSR Annual Conference will seek to discuss.

More precisely, we are looking for contributions, which cut across the different infrastructure sectors, especially in terms of investment opportunities. Contributions utilising multidisciplinary as well as interdisciplinary approaches to regulation are welcome. Papers linking academia and practice, as well as policy research papers are particularly encouraged.

The conference is intended for academics such as PhD students, PostDocs and Assistant/associate/full Professors, as well as academically minded practitioners.

List of selected authors and titles of their papers:

• Alloisio, I.*, Rubino, A. “The role of PPPs in the energy transition infrastructure financing in Sub-Saharan Africa”
• Astier, N., Ovaere, M.* “Reliability standards and generation adequacy assessments for interconnected electricity systems”
• Bigler, P., Radulescu, D.* “Welfare, Redistributive and Revenue Effects of Policies Promoting Fuel Efficient and Electric Vehicles”
• Bartlett Castellà, E.R.*, Gimeno de la Fuente, C., Majó Casas, C. “Digitalisation at the core of energy networks: the backbone of the energy transition. A brief assessment on the infrastructure investment regulatory framework”
• Couto Ribeiro, B.*, Pereira Ferrero, L.G., Blind, K., Bin, A. “The Effects of RDI Regulation on Energy Sector”
• Crocioni, P.*, Silos Ribas, M. “Could ex ante regulation create incentives for anti-competitive behaviour?” 
• De Maio, M. L.*, Paniccia, I., Vitiello, I. “European strategy on sustainable and smart mobility: what will be the role of economic regulation?”
• Gundes, S.*, Atakul, N.”Public-Private Partnerships in Toll Road Projects: The Case of Eurasia Tunnel”
•  Hernandez, D.*, Gençer, E.  “Modelling Optimal Hydrogen Transmission Network Infrastructure”
• Knieps, G. “Internet of Things and the challenges for infrastructure investment in 5G based-smart network industries” 
• Machado J.T.M.*, Flynn, B. M., Williamson, I. “The national shaping of Europe’s Emerging Hydrogen Strategies: Cooperative or Competitive Hydrogen politics?”
• Parcu, P.L., Rossi, M.A. “Technological neutrality and network neutrality in telecommunications regulation. Policies at the 5G crossroads?”
• Simon, E.*, Cimmino F., M., Genoud, S. “Sector coupling of power and gas with combined heat and power plants: an investment to foster the swiss energy system decarbonisation”

*presenting author

Conference structure:

The format of the FSR Annual Conference is unique, in that it favours quality over quantity:

• Each presenter has 30’, which includes 12’ of presentation, 10’ of qualified feedback and 8’ of discussion with the audience;
• Feedback will be given by senior professors and researchers associated with the Florence School of Regulation who are specifically knowledgeable about the topic at hand;
• Papers retained for publication will receive additional feedback beyond the Conference.

Timeline:

• Submission of the abstract by 1st February, 15th February 2021. We extended the deadline!
• Notification of acceptance by 1st March 2021;
• Submission of the full paper by 16th May 2021; participants who fail to submit a full paper by this deadline will be automatically removed from the programme;
• Conference on 10th -11th June 2021 in Florence (Italy).

Submission of the abstract:

• Step 1: Download the obligatory 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 Irina Lapenkova at FSR.Transport@eui.eu

Publication opportunities:

• Papers will qualify for the Journal Competition and Regulation in Network Industries (SAGE)
• A summary of the 4-5 best papers will have the chance to be published in the dedicated issue of the Network Industries Quarterly (Issue 23, Vol 3, September 2021), which distributes to approximately 4000 people worldwide.

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 Director of the Transport Area of the FSR)
• Prof Jean-Michel Glachant (EUI, Robert Schuman Chair, Director of the FSR, Director of the Energy & Climate Area of the FSR, Holder of the Loyola de Palacio Chair)
• Prof Juan Montero (EUI, Part-time professor of the Transport Area of the FSR, Professor of Administrative Law and Regulation in UNED University, Madrid)
• Prof Pier Luigi Parcu (EUI, Part-time professor and Area Director of the FSR Communications & Media, CMPF)

The first meeting of the Carbon Market Policy Dialogue (CMPD) of the LIFE DICET* project brings together academia, stakeholders and senior policymakers from different carbon markets worldwide, in a unique process for a fruitful exchange on carbon market integration. 

The meeting is split into two online sessions to cover different topics and to allow participation from different geographical areas (East Asia and Pacific, Europe, North America…):  

• Thursday 10th September 2020 from 9.00 AM to 11.30 AM Central European Time to discuss “Environmental ambition: scope, stringency, and policy mix” (Topic 1),
• Thursday 24th September 2020 from 5.30 PM to 8.00 PM Central European Time to discuss “Price control: volume- and price-based mechanisms” (Topic 2). 

The CMPD meetings aim to facilitate enhanced international cooperation between Emissions Trading Systems regulators, namely the European Commission (DG Climate Action), California-Quebec, China, Switzerland and New Zealand within the framework of the LIFE DICET project. 

Ahead of the meetings, material meant to nourish the discussion will be shared. It will include a report presenting the different ETSs mentioned above, two background reports on Topic 1 and on Topic 2, as well as a few short video statements.

* The event is co-funded under the LIFE Programme, the project LIFE DICET – Deepening International Cooperation on Emissions Trading supports European Union and Member State policymakers in deepening international cooperation for the development and possible integration of carbon markets.

The European Green Deal reaffirms the European Commission’s commitment to achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and calls for significant transformations across all sectors of the economy. Despite the current Covid-19 impact on aviation emissions, this ambition still places a particular responsibility on aviation, whose emissions in Europe have increased by 10% between 2014 and 2017, and which were expected to grow by a further 21% by 2040. In addition to calling for a reduction of the sector’s climate footprint, the Green Deal communication stresses the importance of “improving air quality near airports by tackling the emissions of pollutants by airplanes and airport operations”. Though important advances have been made in mitigating noise pollution from aircraft, noise levels continue to pose a serious health risk for communities living close to airports and, thus, also need to be further addressed.

A number of legislative revisions are already underway, whereas, the Commission is notably set to adopt a sustainable aviation fuels strategy in the fourth quarter of 2020. Against this backdrop, the 14^th Florence Air Forum will examine the contribution of European airports and the wider aviation ecosystem, through both technological and regulatory measures, in supporting the attainment of the European Green Deal and Climate Law objectives.

Aviation in Europe accounts for 28% of global passenger traffic. It directly and indirectly provides more than 12 million jobs and makes a €700+ billion contribution to the economy. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), however, has found that if greenhouse gas emissions continue on a business-as-usual trajectory, this could result in a global sea-level rise of one meter by end of the century. This, in turn, could entail particularly high risks for airports, many of which are located near large bodies of water and built on large, flat, open-spaces, making them particularly vulnerable to changes in sea level. In fact, according to data from the World Resources Institute, 80 airports worldwide could be underwater if current emission trends continue. It goes without saying that such a scenario would have detrimental socio-economic and connectivity implications, thus underlining the need for climate-resilient policies and regulations in the sector.

On a positive note, the European airport industry, represented by ACI Europe, has shown firm commitment to becoming net zero for carbon emissions by no later than 2050. To achieve this goal, airports have pledged to reduce absolute emissions to the furthest extent possible and to address any remaining emissions through investment in carbon removal and storage. Importantly, offsetting measures will not be used in the achievement of the mid-century target, which the airport industry acknowledges as a merely ‘temporary’ measure, and which will have to be replaced by direct in-sector reductions.

When it comes to technological solutions, the electrification of aircraft during taxiing, as well as that of ground handling machinery, shuttle buses and other vehicles transporting passengers to-, from- and within the airport premises are increasingly examined. This, of course, also touches on the wider debate of accelerating the clean energy transition to ensure that airports can switch to zero carbon energy under competitive conditions.

The broader aviation ecosystem

Airports, however, do not operate in isolation, thus, any regulatory measures aimed at improving their environmental performance, will have to take into account the broader aviation ecosystem, including airlines and air traffic management (ATM). In this regard, supporting the implementation of the Single European Sky (another commitment under the Green Deal), and incentivising the introduction of disruptive ATM technologies, such as virtual centers, hold significant untapped potential for enhancing aviation efficiency and reducing CO₂ emissions.

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused EU leaders to temporarily suspend the ‘use-it-or-lose it’ rules under the Slot Regulation, thereby enabling airlines to retain rights over their slots without having to run ‘ghost flights’ and unnecessarily waste jet fuel. The evaluation of the Slot Regulation could, furthermore, be used to prioritise slots for quieter aircraft and/or aircraft running on Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs). What is more, a modulation of airport charges on the basis of environmental criteria, by means of reforming the Airport Charges Directive, could help in encouraging the uptake of SAFs while alleviating congestion at airports.

The uptake of SAFs in Europe, will necessitate incentives for their production and deployment. This, in turn, would entail overcoming regulatory as well as technological barriers. Here, the upcoming recast of the Energy Taxation Directive could be an opportunity to close existing loopholes (i.e. current tax exemptions for aviation fuels) with a view to ensuring more efficient pricing of air travel and fostering a level playing field.

Last but not least, empowering consumers to factor in environmental criteria into their travel decisions and putting in place measures to promote multi-modality will be decisive in stirring the shift towards sustainable aviation practices. As already acknowledged by a number of national governments, short haul flights can be substituted by rail trips, and the provision of multi-modal travel information would therefore be instrumental in encouraging consumers to make these choices.

The forum will seek to critically discuss the following three questions:

1. What are the various technological options involving aircraft ground movements, airside operations and groundhandling solutions to accelerate the achievement of net zero carbon European airports by 2050?
2. Greening airports: from construction to electricity generation, availability of sustainable aviation fuels and transit to the airport. How to build and operate airports in a sustainable way?
3. What are the various regulatory options (e.g. Airport Charges- and Slot Regulation) supporting the shift towards greener airports? What are the funding possibilities to enable greening of airports? Private funding, funding through operations (e.g. charges), public funding?

SPEAKERS’ PRESENTATIONS:

Session A – Aircraft Ground Movements: Airside and Groundhandling

Denise Pronk – Schiphol Airport

Florian Guillermet – SESAR JU

Session B – Construction and Operation of Airports

Marina Bylinsky – ACI Europe

Ana Salazar López-Pedraza – AENA

Udo Bradersen – Hamburg Airport

Session C – Regulatory Framework and Financing

Andre Schneider – Geneva Airport

Francois Delabre – Air France KLM Group

Jorge Grazina – European Commission

The European Commission and EU transport ministers have set themselves ambitious targets for road safety for the coming decade: to halve the number of fatalities and the number of serious injuries on European roads by 2030.

A crucial factor in the road safety equation is speed. About one third of crashes are at least partly caused by excessive or inappropriate speed. The risk to be involved in a crash when speeding well above the limit or driving too fast for the conditions is 12.8 times higher than for non-speeders. And higher speed crashes cause far more damage than lower speed ones.

Rules and regulations on speed differ between EU Member States. But as driver assistance technology like Intelligent Speed Assistance is becoming commonplace thanks to EU regulation and as many European cities are learning from their peers across the EU about lowering speed limits and accompanying infrastructure measures, it is time for a closer look at speed at European level.

This seminar will bring together academics and practitioners from across the EU to discuss all aspects of the “factor speed”: vehicles and technology, infrastructure design, speed limits and enforcement, as well as links with sustainable mobility (emissions, air quality, noise).

Please kindly note that this event is by invitation only.