A status review of regulatory approaches to smart electricity networks across Europe

摘要

As a result of three years work in the field of smart electricity grids and their regulation, the priorities and recommendations of European Energy Regulators include (i) encouraging co-operation amongst stakeholders and identifying possible barriers to smart grid deployment; (ii) ensuring dissemination of the results and lessons learned from demonstration projects financed by network tariffs to all interested parties; (iii) evaluating the breakdown of costs and benefits of possible demonstration projects for each network stakeholder and to take decisions or give advice to decision-makers based on societal costbenefit assessment which takes into account costs and benefits for each stakeholder and for the society as a whole; (iv) pursuing regulation of outputs as a mechanism to ensure value for money for network users and investigating metrics for the quantification of the most important output effects and benefits at national level. In line with such recommendations, the Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER) prepared in 2011 a "Status review of regulatory approaches to smart electricity grids", which reviewed (i) regulatory challenges related to smart grids; (ii) innovation and demonstration projects; (iii) cost benefit analyses for the demonstration and deployment of smart grids; (iv) potential performance indicators and incentive schemes for regulating network outputs. According to the answers to the preparatory survey for the 2011 Status Review, the challenge of dealing with incentives to improve cost-effectiveness was identified (and/or commented on) by most of the countries. The following three challenges also generated a significant reaction from the National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs): 1. how to encourage network operators to choose innovative solutions; 2. the inadequacy of existing standards or lack of standards on smart-grid technology; and 3. the need to enhance the definition of national objectives and policies at political level. According to the answers to the survey, a significant number of countries indicated that they use some of the 34 potential performance indicators (output effects) for transmission and distribution networks which were identified in the 2010 Conclusions Paper on Smart Grids. This can be either for monitoring purposes, as a minimum requirement, or as a revenue driver. In particular, the indicators for continuity of supply (quality of supply) and the indicators related to losses (efficiency) are used as revenue drivers in more than half of the countries.