Technology, business model, and market design adaptation toward smart electricity distribution: Insights for policy making

Guillermo Ivan Pereira (), Jan Martin Specht (), Patricia Silva and Reinhard Madlener
Additional contact information
Guillermo Ivan Pereira: University of Coimbra, Postal: Energy for Sustainability Initiative, MIT Portugal Program, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, http://www.mitportugal.org/
Jan Martin Specht: E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN), http://www.fcn.eonerc.rwth-aachen.de

No 3/2018, FCN Working Papers from E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN)

Abstract: The ongoing European Union sustainable energy transition has a disruptive potential regarding the role of infrastructure and utilities in the electricity sector. The increased spread of digital technologies, renewable energy sources, and prosumers calls for a swift and well-guided adaptation of the electricity distribution industry towards a smart grids context. We analyze the challenges and opportunities associated with this adaptation through nine multi-stakeholder workshops, held in Germany and Portugal in 2016-2017, engaging distribution system operators (DSOs), researchers, academics, and integrated utility companies to obtain up-to-date insights. Our results indicate uncertainty regarding the value of large-scale rollout of smart meters for DSOs. Also, a corporate culture with resistance to change is observed, challenging the integration of novel technologies and processes. Traditional regulation is seen as a barrier to smart grid investments, is associated with job losses, and knowledge destruction. Policy-makers can benefit from these insights by taking them into account in policy design and market restructuring.

Keywords: Electricity distribution; smart grid; technology; business model; market design; policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O18 O25 O33 Q41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 41 pages
Date: 2018-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene, nep-eur, nep-knm, nep-pay and nep-reg
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (20)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ris:fcnwpa:2018_003

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