Environmental aspect of energy transition and urbanization in the OPEC member states

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Taiwo Onifade ◽  
Andrew Adewale Alola ◽  
Savaş Erdoğan ◽  
Hakan Acet
Keyword(s):  
Energy Transition ◽  
Member States ◽  
Environmental Aspect ◽  
Opec Member

Energy Transition in the European Union and its Member States: Interpreting Federal Competence Allocation in the Light of the Paris Agreement

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Michael Fehling
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Majority Voting ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
Innovation Research ◽  
Ordinary Legislative Procedure ◽  
The One ◽  
The Eu

Abstract Energy transition in the European Union (EU) and its Member States involves questions of federalism, which are subject to various perspectives. The distribution of powers cannot be properly understood using classical legal methodology alone because Articles 192 to 194 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) contain too many ambiguous political compromises. On the one hand, Article 192(1) TFEU (on the environment) and Article 194(1) and (2)(1) TFEU (on energy) enable EU legislation on energy transition through the ordinary legislative procedure, including majority voting in the European Parliament and the Council. On the other hand, there are significant textual limits for EU action in neighbouring provisions with a ‘sovereignty exception’ for the Member States in both Article 192(2) and Article 194(2)(2) TFEU. This article argues that, in the light of the Paris Agreement, the allocation of competences between the EU and its Member States should, in case of doubt, be understood in such a way that effective climate protection becomes possible. Because under Article 191(1) TFEU the EU is to promote measures at the international level to combat climate change, such an international law-friendly interpretation is part of a legitimate teleological approach. Economic theories of federalism and innovation research in the social sciences help us to understand which aspects of economic or innovation theory can promote effectiveness in this respect. It is necessary to interpret the distribution of competences in a dynamic way, thereby slightly shifting the limits of interpretation.

scholarly journals The Rise of Community Energy from Grassroots to Mainstream: The Role of Law and Policy

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 487-510
Author(s):  
Annalisa Savaresi
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Energy Generation ◽  
Community Action ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Law And Policy ◽  
Renewable Energy Generation

Abstract In recent years, national and subnational law-makers and policy-makers have increasingly adopted measures to stimulate decentralised renewable energy generation, turning local and rural communities into prominent actors in the energy transition. The recast of the EU Renewable Energy Directive follows this trend, prompting all EU Member States to adopt measures to spearhead community energy. Yet to date, only a handful of ‘pioneer’ EU Member States—most saliently Denmark, Germany and the UK—have accrued significant experience with the mainstreaming of community energy. This article reflects on the role of law and policy in turning grassroots community action into a mainstream means for renewable energy generation. It unpacks the regulatory questions underlying the notion of community energy embedded in the Renewables Directive, looking at how these have been addressed in pioneer Member States. This analysis aims to deliver greater understanding of community energy, to highlight gaps in our knowledge of it, and ultimately to identify an agenda for further scholarly enquiry.

scholarly journals Building a Common Support Framework in Differing Realities—Conditions for Renewable Energy Communities in Germany and Bulgaria

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 4693
Author(s):  
Deyana Spasova ◽  
Sibylle Braungardt
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Member States ◽  
Common Support ◽  
Country Analysis

The revised EU Renewable Energy Directive first introduced renewable energy communities into the EU policy framework and requires Member States to implement a support framework for them. Given the broad scientific evidence showing the benefits of community energy for a just energy transition, a successful implementation across all Member States is essential. However, the preconditions for developing support frameworks differ largely between EU nations, as some countries have long-term experiences with supporting renewable energy communities (i.e., Germany and Denmark), while in other Member States, renewable energy communities are notably non-existent (i.e., Eastern European nations). With the purpose of providing scientific evidence to support the development of a policy framework for renewable energy communities in Eastern European Member States, this article compares key factors for the development of such communities in Bulgaria and Germany, combining a literature review with expert interviews to collect primary information on Bulgaria. A country analysis puts these factors into the contexts of both countries, while a cross-country comparison demonstrates that there are significant gaps in the support framework of Bulgaria, although these gaps are, to a lesser extent, also present in Germany. We discuss these shortcomings, derive policy recommendations and identify further research needs.

scholarly journals A VaR-Based Methodology for Assessing Carbon Price Risk across European Union Economic Sectors

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (24) ◽  
pp. 8424
Author(s):  
Vlad-Cosmin Bulai ◽  
Alexandra Horobet ◽  
Oana Cristina Popovici ◽  
Lucian Belascu ◽  
Sofia Adriana Dumitrescu
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Value At Risk ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Carbon Price ◽  
Risk Exposure ◽  
Price Risk ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States

The latest European Union measures for combating climate adopted in the “Fit for 55 package” envisage the extension of the Emissions Trading System, the first “cap-and-trade” system in the world created for achieving climate targets, which limits the amount of greenhouse gas emissions by imposing a price on carbon. In this context, our study provides an integrated assessment of carbon price risk exposure of all economic sectors in the European Union Member States, thus supporting decision making in determining the energy transition risk. We propose a novel approach in assessing carbon risk exposure using the Value at Risk methodology to compute the carbon price under the EU ETS, based on historical price simulation for January–August 2021 and ARMA-GARCH models for the October 2012–August 2021 period. We further built a value erosion metric, which allowed us to establish each sector’s exposure to risk and to identify differences between Eastern and Western EU countries. We find that the refining sector appears to be highly vulnerable, whereas there is higher potential for large losses in the energy supply and chemical sectors in Eastern EU Member States, given a different pace of industry restructuring.

scholarly journals Priorities and challenges of the EU energy transition: From the European Green Package to the new Green Deal

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 374-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manfred Hafner ◽  
Pier Paolo Raimondi
Keyword(s):  
Energy Policy ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
Industrial Transformation ◽  
Climate Targets ◽  
The Eu

As decarbonization and climate policy are gaining relevance in the European Union (EU) energy policy, the present paper seeks to present both priorities and challenges for of the EU energy transition. As priorities, we outline the key targets and initiatives proposed and set by the European institutions in relation to the energy matters. The EU identifies renewable energy sources, energy efficiency and reduction of the greenhouse gas (GHG) as the three pillars to achieve its carbon neutrality. The final goal for to the EU energy and climate targets is to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Nevertheless, since given energy policy is being a “shared competence” between the EU institutions and Member States, each Member State plays a critical role for the achievement of the EU energy transition. Different socioeconomic structures and the energy mix across Europe have caused the implementation process of each EU target to develop at a different pace among European countries. We illustrate this drawing on four countries: Italy, the UK, Germany and Poland. We assess their political commitment to the energy transition and their actions regarding energy transformation. These four countries are only an example of the different pace in the implementation of the EU energy and climate targets. The last part of the paper is devoted to the ambitious plan, called Green New Deal, launched by the present Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen. It sets key priorities, reaffirming European commitments to the energy and climate transition. However, the plan faces significant obstacles. For example, division among Member States (North-South and West-East) might be a factor that could undermine the achievement of the European energy transition, due to multiple and divergent interests (also on the future role of the energy transition in the aftermath of COVID-19 and the resulting economic crisis). Another challenge is constituted by popular opposition, especially from those people that see the energy transition — and consequent economic and industrial transformation — as a potential threat to their well-being and jobs, as the French gilets jaunes show. Lastly, we explain that the European energy transition will impact also its external relations, for example with Russia, proposing how the two blocs can preserve their energy relationship in light of the energy transition, notably through the conversion of natural gas to hydrogen and storing/using the resulting CO2.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document