Distributed Generation Roadmap

Distributed power generation (DG) provides flexible and potentially highly efficient energy solutions, and has already seen some market growth in areas like the United States.

With appropriate policy and developmental support, the DG market within the EU can be stimulated to provide a significant contribution to the resolution of future energy supply concerns within the EU.

A flourishing DG industry within the EU will also enable wealth creation and will generate significant employment benefits to the EU as a whole. However, no strategic plan or roadmap has yet been developed within the EU to assess the case for DG and to and implement appropriate courses of action to enable the European Union to realise the full technical and economic benefits of this technology.

This report therefore provides a review of the issues pertinent to DG within the EU, and proposes a series of actions that should be considered by the European Commission, Regulatory bodies, manufacturers and other stakeholders, with the ultimate goal of creating a thriving DG market and industry in the EU.

The actions and recommendations contained in this document fall into two main categories: (i) technical issues, and (ii) policy and economic issues.

For example, from the technical perspective, there is an urgent need to develop and implement a European Interconnection Standard for DG to ensure that DG schemes are treated fairly in terms of their interconnection requirements and potential impact on the host electricity network. Other important technical issues include the need for standardised DG certification and authorisation protocols, and the need for a co-ordinated EU approach towards DG system demonstration and performance.

To download the .pdf file of the example technology roadmap click the image of the front cover of the road map document.

Distributed Generation Regulation

The SUSTELNET road map is a guide to the development of electricity regulation. A road map stipulates the regulatory actions that are necessary to reach a desired future state of market organisation. In SUSTELNET this desired future state is described as a ‘level playing field’ for centralised and distributed generation. This broadly means that centralised and distributed generation should be able to participate in the electricity market on equal terms. This rather general conception of a level playing field is expressed through criteria for electricity regulation.

A road map contains a series of regulatory actions and developments. Furthermore, the road map indicates the timing of regulatory steps. The timing of these steps depends on key developments in the electricity sector and the penetration of DG in the electricity market. The level of detail in the description of the regulatory actions is higher for the short-term actions than for the long-term actions. Finally, considering that regulation never takes place in isolation, a road map should address all stakeholders.

This report outlines the regulatory roadmap for Italy. Chapter 2 describes the present situation of the electricity market: the supply structure, the environmental policy and the system of governance; these topics are considered taking into consideration the developments over the time horizon of the project. Chapter 3 consequently outlines the regulatory steps that need to be taken in order to establish a level playing field for distributed and centralised generation against the background of the developments described in Chapter 2. In Chapter 4 these regulation strategies are tested on their robustness and effectiveness to respond to changing circumstances in the electricity sector. Chapter 5 concludes with an action plan that addresses the responsibilities and tasks of all stakeholders in implementing the regulatory roadmap.