Understanding the developments in legislation and regulations for disruptive technologies and storage in the European Union

This chapter considers the EU’s legislative direction on disruptive technologies through an environmental lens. The first section considers new disruptive technologies emerging from the digital space and suggests that, so far, the primary focus of the EU’s legislative activity for these technologies has been addressing concerns over data privacy and security, while it is still hesitant to legislate on the correlated environmental costs. This section also considers energy storage and the role that it is has played in facilitating the rise of the ‘prosumer’ and energy communities, complemented by legislation being passed by the EU to encourage a transition away from a traditional linear model of production-transmission-consumption. Finally, this chapter reflects on the disruptive role that green hydrogen is playing in the energy production sector and the EU’s approach to ensure a secure and green energy future.