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EU’s buildings directive should give EV owners the right to a smart plug

By Jaap Burger, Luka De Bruyckere
The electrification of mobility is in full swing. As electric vehicles (EV) become ever more popular, public charging points are spreading – their numbers have doubled in the last two years in the EU. But public charging points alone will not be enough to power the transition to electrified mobility, we need more (smart) connections in buildings. Most users ... Read More

Worüber keiner reden will: Der bevorstehende Abschied vom Gasnetz

By Andreas Jahn, Barbara Saerbeck
Die Gasindustrie investiert aktuell, was das Zeug hält. 2019 flossen rund 2,5 Milliarden Euro in den Aus- und Neubau der deutschen Gasnetze (BNetzA Monitoring-Bericht). Bis 2030 sind laut Netzentwicklungsplan Gas allein für die Ferngasnetze weitere 2,2 Milliarden Euro vorgesehen, wobei die Ferngasnetzbetreiber sogar Investitionen in Höhe von 7,8 Milliarden Eur... Read More

It’s Time to Consider the (Non-Pipeline) Alternatives

By Max Dupuy
For many years, the topic of regulation of gas distribution utilities has been far from the limelight and has not received the kind of attention that electric utility regulation attracts. But there are an increasing number of reasons to take a fresh look at gas utility regulation. Most importantly, climate goals call for phasing out greenhouse gas emissions assoc... Read More

分时上网电价：无现货市场省份的一种选择

By Regulatory Assistance Project
国家发改委最近发布的《关于进一步完善分时电价机制的通知》中（以下简称“通知”），包括了对尚未建立电力现货市场省份的指示。对于这些省份，通知要求签订的月度和年度合同中的购电价格可在一天内甚至在不同季节有相应变化。 该政策提供了一个可以改善对非现... Read More

Europe’s gas decarbonisation package: Putting new wine in old wineskins?

By Megan Anderson, Jan Rosenow
Putting new wine in old wineskins is a timeworn saying first mentioned in the Bible. Doing so is not a good idea we are taught: ‘the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well’ (Mark 2:22). Going against this advice, however, is precisely what is suggested we do with the existing gas network: Putting new types of gases into the pipe... Read More

Getting off the fossil fuel roller coaster

By Bram Claeys, Dominic Scott
When the global economy picks up steam, so do commodity prices. Gas demand bouncing back to pre-Covid levels started a new upswing in the price cycle. We are seeing classic market dynamics at work: demand outstrips supply and prices rise. Electricity and gas prices are skyrocketing from last year’s pandemic-induced depths, leaving people reeling. Experts have ... Read More

Participating in Power: A Practical Guide to Utility Resource Plans for Local Governments

By David Farnsworth, Jake Duncan
To meet 21st century decarbonization and social equity priorities, utilities need to transform the way they plan power sector investments. One of the most important opportunities to encourage these changes is to become an effective participant in the development of a utility integrated resource plan (IRP). An IRP shapes the thinking of utility executives, regulat... Read More

China looks to apply flexible time-of-use electricity tariffs nationwide

By Max Dupuy
One major challenge for decarbonisation is mobilising consumers to play a bigger role in the clean energy transition. As consumers turn to electric appliances, including electric vehicles (EVs) and heat pumps, there are increasing opportunities for them to contribute to grid flexibility at low cost. This flexibility is essential to support the integration of vari... Read More

Rebalancing energy levies is a practical way to increase the electrification of heat

By Jan Rosenow, Richard Lowes
Every year households in the UK install about 1.7 million gas boilers. In May, the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council reported that 2021 looks to be a record year for gas boiler sales, with year-to-date sales up 41 per cent from 2020. So far, low-carbon heating occupies a small — although growing — niche in the heating market. One important factor suppo... Read More

Trust, not control: Germany, EVs and the power of consumer choice

By Andreas Jahn, Jaap Burger, Jan Rosenow
‘How electric vehicles endanger electricity supply’ rang the alarm in a major German newspaper in 2018. The author warned that the local electricity networks would collapse if people returned from work in the evening and all charged their cars at the same time, a fear that kept many network operators up at night. The government that, eight years prior, had... Read More

The Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP)® is an independent, non-partisan, non-governmental organization dedicated to accelerating the transition to a clean, reliable, and efficient energy future.