Enabling bottom-up initiatives in the energy transition: a fundamental revision of regulation
Bottom-up initiatives in the energy transition such as energy and heat cooperatives are important to accelerate the energy transition, foster societal acceptance and meet societal goals like energy justice and the limitation of energy poverty. These bottom-up initiatives amongst others aim to collectively produce and store electricity with solar pv panels and wind turbines and to trade with neighbours or participate in demand response schemes. To date, these essential initiatives face legal barriers and are unable to participate fully in the energy transition. Although there is sufficient knowledge on these barriers, yet no fundamental research has been conducted into the necessary legal changes to enable bottom-up initiatives. In this project we aim to bridge this knowledge gap, by developing new regulatory principles, informed by empirical data on the wishes and ambitions of small-end users and use cases, and assessing how legislative frameworks should be adapted.
Contact
For more information contact Dr. Sanne Akerboom, Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development.