Innovation in the European energy sector and regulatory responses to it: Guest editorial note

Hoppe, T.; Butenko, Anna; Heldeweg, Michiel

doi:10.3390/su10020416

Innovation in the European energy sector and regulatory responses to it

Title

Innovation in the European energy sector and regulatory responses to it: Guest editorial note

Author

Hoppe, T. (TU Delft Organisation and Governance)
Butenko, Anna (Tilburg University)
Heldeweg, Michiel (University of Twente)

Date

2018

Abstract

The European energy sector is an important economic sector that is also traditionally highly regulated. With the increasing tempo in which innovations in technology and markets occur, catalysed inter alia by the energy transition and accompanied by new formats of innovation (disruptive and bottom-up), the question arises whether existing regulatory frameworks sufficiently allow for such innovation and support its further development. From an editorial perspective, we argue that decentralization of energy production on the national level and that of regulatory responses to it, need more scholarly attention. In this guest editorial, the contributions of nine articles to our special issue on innovation in the European energy sector and regulatory responses to it, are addressed. First, lessons on regulatory response to innovations in European energy markets are drawn. Second, several types of responses are deduced and discussed. Finally, key observations and suggestions for further research are presented.

Subject

Community energy
Energy governance
Energy policy
Energy transition
European Union
Experimentation
Innovation
Multi-level governance
Regulatory response
Renewable energy