The Danish Utility Regulator (DUR) has with this publication launched the first volume in DUR's Anthology Project Series on Better Regulation in the Energy Sector. The anthology project is conceived as a series of volumes to be published every two years on one or more relevant themes. This year’s theme is Energy Regulation in the Green Transition and how best to address the challenges that an ambitious transition poses to our societies. The contributions in the anthology offer different and important perspectives on the urgent matter of Energy Regulation in the Green Transition.
I believe it is important that we reflect on how regulation can be improved, and on the implications of the Green Transition for regulation. Obstacles and challenges in existing regulation must be identified and addressed in light of the political goal of ensuring a Green Transition. This means that we need to relentlessly consider whether the regulation is fit for purpose. Otherwise there is a risk that the Green Transition becomes unnecessarily expensive for end-users and society in general.
In a broader sense, the aim of this project is also to foster inter-disciplinary discussions and encourage reflection on regulatory approaches among practitioners, businesses, academics, government officials and regulators alike. In this way, we hope that the anthology project will contribute to the on-going development of ideas to further improve the efficiency of the energy sector.
The anthology is a collection of academic contributions chosen by DUR under guidance from the editorial team. The anthology is therefore not a DUR publication as such. It is important to stress that DUR – and the editorial team, for that matter – do not necessarily share all of the opinions or agree with all of the arguments expressed in the various contributions to the anthology. The authors of the articles bear sole responsibility for their contributions.
The editorial team also had exciting, fruitful and at times animated discussions on more than one regulatory topic. This was particularly true in relation to the importance of ownership for efficiency and the long-term sustainability of the income-cap regulatory framework. This is also a subject that DUR has devoted some attention to in our analysis of the Green Transition and Economic Regulation from April 2020, where we argue that the income-cap regulatory framework adequately delivers on the regulatory challenges stemming from the Green Transition.
Special thanks are due to Tooraj Jamasb, Henrik Lund, Peter Møllgaard and Birgitte Egelund Olsen, who accepted the invitation to participate in the editorial team despite busy schedules. I would also like to thank all of the authors who have contributed to this anthology.
The Florence School of Regulation (FSR) and the Copenhagen School of Energy Infrastructure (CSEI) gracefully offered their cooperation in this project. Unfortunately, the planned physical seminars in Florence with FSR and in Copenhagen with CSEI had to be cancelled and replaced by a European book-launch webinar hosted by FSR, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Carsten Smidt
Director-General
Danish Utility Regulator (DUR)