Bringing in Liquidity and Transparency when the Power Sector is Consolidated: The Duty to Trade on the Power Exchange

The present model analyses how the state would provide services when the change of power depends upon the performance of the state. Agents can evaluate state performance based either only on the receipt of government services, or both on the benefit from government services and taxes imposed. With a credible threat of power change, if the valuation of the government services is low, along with a low fiscal capacity, then it is less probable that this service would be provided. Furthermore, such an allocation is compared with a situation, when there exists a threat of active opposition. Interestingly, that threat does not change the optimum provisioning of government services (as compared to the previous situation) in the equilibrium

Smart grids after the third liberalization package: current developments and future challenges for regulatory policy in the electricity sector

The smart grid is a concept for the development of power distribution grids that offers great promise for the realization of the ambitious objectives of European Energy Policy. In its Third Energy Liberalization Package, European energy law has introduced the concept of intelligent grids and intelligent metering systems. A new directive of EPBD (energy performance of buildings) is to press ahead with this trend. At the same time work is underway at the European Commission and with European Regulators concerning standardization and the new shape of regulatory policy in the implementation stage. The EU legislation and regulatory policy of the National Regulatory Authorities will have to take into consideration the current trends in the modernization of the networks. Among other things, this means revising the existing regulatory model, and that will have to take into account the performance and output of industry networks

Smart grids after the third liberalization package: current developments and future challenges for regulatory policy in the electricity sector

The smart grid is a concept for the development of power distribution grids that offers great promise for the realization of the ambitious objectives of European Energy Policy. In its Third Energy Liberalization Package, European energy law has introduced the concept of intelligent grids and intelligent metering systems. A new directive of EPBD (energy performance of buildings) is to press ahead with this trend. At the same time work is underway at the European Commission and with European Regulators concerning standardization and the new shape of regulatory policy in the implementation stage. The EU legislation and regulatory policy of the National Regulatory Authorities will have to take into consideration the current trends in the modernization of the networks. Among other things, this means revising the existing regulatory model, and that will have to take into account the performance and output of industry networks

Shifts in the smart research agenda? 100 priority questions to accelerate sustainable energy futures

Energy transitions are at the top of global agendas in response to the growing challenges of climate change and international conflict, with the EU positioning itself as playing a pivotal role in addressing climate risks and sustainability imperatives. European energy transition policies identify 'smart consumption' as a key element of these efforts, which have previously been explored from a predominantly technical perspective thus often failing to identify or address fundamental interlinkages with social systems and consequences. This paper aims to contribute to interdisciplinary energy research by analysing a forward looking 'Horizon Scan' research agenda for smart consumption, driven by the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH). Reflecting on an extensive systematic Delphi Method exercise surveying over 70 SSH scholars from various institutional settings across Europe, we highlight what SSH scholars see as future directions for smart consumption research. Building from seven thematic areas (under which are grouped 100 SSH research questions), the study identifies three key 'shifts' this new smart research agenda represents, when compared to previous agendas: (1) From technological inevitability to political choice, highlighting the need for a wider political critique, with the potential to open up discussions of the instrumentalisation of smart research; (2) From narrow representation to diverse inclusion, moving beyond the shortcomings of current discourses for engaging marginalised communities; and (3) From individual consumers to interconnected citizens, reframing smart consumption to offer a broader model of social change and governance. Social Sciences and Humanities scholarship is essential to address these shifts in meaningful (rather than tokenistic) ways. This agenda and the shifts it embodies represent key tools to enable better interdisciplinary working between SSH and teams from the technical and natural sciences.Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic DKRVO, (RP/CPS/2022/005); Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, H2020; European Commission, EC; Horizon 2020, (826025)European Union [826025]; Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic DKRVO [RP/CPS/2022/005

Shifts in the smart research agenda? 100 priority questions to accelerate sustainable energy futures

Energy transitions are at the top of global agendas in response to the growing challenges of climate change and international conflict, with the EU positioning itself as playing a pivotal role in addressing climate risks and sustainability imperatives. European energy transition policies identify ‘smart consumption’ as a key element of these efforts, which have previously been explored from a predominantly technical perspective thus often failing to identify or address fundamental interlinkages with social systems and consequences. This paper aims to contribute to interdisciplinary energy research by analysing a forward looking ‘Horizon Scan’ research agenda for smart consumption, driven by the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH). Reflecting on an extensive systematic Delphi Method exercise surveying over 70 SSH scholars from various institutional settings across Europe, we highlight what SSH scholars see as future directions for smart consumption research. Building from seven thematic areas (under which are grouped 100 SSH research questions), the study identifies three key ‘shifts’ this new smart research agenda represents, when compared to previous agendas: (1) From technological inevitability to political choice, highlighting the need for a wider political critique, with the potential to open up discussions of the instrumentalisation of smart research; (2) From narrow representation to diverse inclusion, moving beyond the shortcomings of current discourses for engaging marginalised communities; and (3) From individual consumers to interconnected citizens, reframing smart consumption to offer a broader model of social change and governance. Social Sciences and Humanities scholarship is essential to address these shifts in meaningful (rather than tokenistic) ways. This agenda and the shifts it embodies represent key tools to enable better interdisciplinary working between SSH and teams from the technical and natural sciences

A CONTRACTING STATE: REFORM OF THE STATE SECTOR IN NEW ZEALAND

The paper deals with the organisational and legal aspects of the reform of the public sector in New Zealand. The reform, conducted in the spirit of recommendations of the New Public Management, had substantially transformed the whole government administration, and has become internationally recognised as an example of far reaching and consistent transformations in the public administration, leading to the introduction in it of certain managerial elements. Two aspects of New Zealand’s reforms are discussed in detail: the system of contracting tasks and the transformation of the public service. Possibilities of applying the same solutions in other states are also looked upon

BOOK REVIEWS

Bartłomiej Nowak, Wewnętrzny Rynek Energii w Unii Europejskiej, Warszawa 2009, ss. 302

Some remarks on the functioning of the Board of Appeal of the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators

The Board of Appeal (BoA) of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) belongs to the category of appeal bodies hearing appeals against the deci-sions of EU administrative agencies. ACER BoA acts on the basis of legal framework dedicated to the Agency, while the rules of conduct before the Board are regulated by internal rules of procedure. These regulations are practically the only legal acts regulating the procedure before the BoA, as the EU has not adopted a single ad-ministrative code that would regulate the procedure before such bodies, inter alia. The BoA is a specialised body responsible for adjudicating complex cases in the field of the EU common energy market related to the implementation of European network codes. The CJEU (General Court) sought to dispel any doubts concerning the rules of adjudication of the BoA in the ACER v. Aquind judgment by expressing a number of views on the scope and standard of adjudication, but even in the light of this judgment, a number of matters remain unclear. Consequently, it is all the more urgent to adopt a clear procedural and systemic framework governing the functioning of the BoA