EURELECTRIC Conference
“How Will Smart Grids Change the Face of Europe’s
Electricity Distribution and Consumption?”
13-14 April 2010, Brussels
Hotel Renaissance, Rue du Parnasse 19, 1050 Brussels
Introduction
Opening the
workshop, Per Hallberg, Chairman of EURELECTRIC Working Group Smart
Grids, declared: “Europe
has put its electricity sector on the move”,
referring to past decade of market liberalization which resulted in the
current treatment of electricity as a product. But “it is high time to
bring in customers’ participation in the retail market issues”, he
insisted. To launch the debate, Per Hallberg raised a series of questions
and asked “how can we get customers to be an active part in the energy
market? And, how can we get Distribution System Operators (DSOs) to invest
in the future? What incentives
are needed?
In his opening address European Commissioner for Health and
Consumer Policy, John Dalli reminded the audience that his intention
was “to put consumers first”. He went on to underline that smart
meters and smart grids “have the potential to change our lives for the
better as they can help us move to a greener, more sustainable and more
efficient use of energy”. He reaffirmed the EU’s objective of
installing smart meters in 80% the EU territory by 2020. However, he
formulated three elements of an optimal smart meters’ system design.
Firstly, it must enable non-experts to use it, secondly it should offer
information that is relevant and understandable for consumers, such as
displaying euros/per hour rather than kilowatts/per hour. Finally, the
service should accommodate the growing concerns in terms of data
protection and privacy.
Mr Dalli then mentioned that he is a
firm believer of “evidence-based policy”, later explaining that
“the Consumer Markets Scoreboard serves to provide such
evidence”. He said that the Scoreboard was
now about to be “strengthened and expanded” and assured EURELECTRIC
that “he would consult (them) before and after publication of the
report”.
In his concluding remarks, John Dalli warmly invited the present
stakeholders to actively work together with the European Commission “to
ensure that smart grid and smart meter security issues are addressed
properly […] and proactively, and not just simply to comply with
legislation”. He added “if smart grids and smart meters are
to be successful and deliver the benefits for which they have been
designed, these instruments must be easy-to-use, inspire trust, and help
consumers. For it is the market that has to work for consumers, and the
consumers that have to work the market”.
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