The regulatory challenges of new, emerging technologies in the energy sector

Globally, energy systems are undergoing evolution and new technologies are gaining market share across the board. Low-carbon energy future is dependent on emerging, new technologies. Designing a regulatory framework that aligns new technologies’ deployment with wider policy objectives calls for careful consideration of a range of technical, social, environmental and economic issues. The main questions that relate to the regulation of emerging, disruptive technologies are the ‘whether, when, how and by whom’ of regulation. These questions reveal many challenges that the regulation of emerging technologies pose. We will identify and examine some of the challenges by analyzing the ‘whether, when, how and by whom’ questions of regulation of new technologies in the light of selected case studies. We focus in particular on the emerging regulation of batteries and Internet of Energy as projected future technologies that facilitate the transition into low-carbon energy future, and, in the light of these technologies, ascertain the requirements for successful regulatory intervention and innovation support as well as identify and map future directions for the regulation of new technologies in the low-carbon energy transition.