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In terms of energy security the Black Sea region is important to Europe. Inevitably and for very good reasons, a lot of attention has been given to the existing and planned pipeline routes going around or across the Black Sea. Much less attention has been given to the development of the Black Sea energy market in its own right and to the potential advantages of coping with some current and future energy issues in a multilateral regional format rather than through individual action at national level. The present book addresses, in a comprehensive manner, the current problematic of energy security and goes beyond pipeline politics, without playing down their continued significance; it addresses some topical questions related to the sustainability and resilience of energy systems as applicable to the Black Sea region. [From Amazon.com] ; https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/emse_books/1006/thumbnail.jpg

AbstractConcerns over the weaponization of energy during the war in Ukraine have revived state anxieties about overreliance on certain foreign energy sources. This Essay argues that instruments of energy trade and investment protection have helped to lock states into dangerous dependencies. Trade and investment law can inhibit energy security strategies designed to diversify away from unreliable sources and to block suspicious investors. With energy used as a weapon, reform of the liberal energy regime is needed to allow states to prevent the creation of dependencies and protect their energy security in the new geopolitical reality.

Although China and the US are starting their fourth decade of energy cooperation, it is only recently that there has been a concerted US effort to create a framework for US-China bilateral energy relations. The past 30 years have witnessed many successful energy projects that have lacked follow through and institutionalization, often becoming 'one-off' exercises that duplicated previous projects. Recent initiatives intend to establish long-term linkages between US and Chinese energy bureaucracies, linking energy efficiency, energy security, and environmental issues. The US is nesting the bilateral relationship in global and Asia-Pacific multilateral energy and environmental regimes, and is also using bilateral agreements as mechanisms to promote domestic energy and environmental reform. This paper will examine US-China relations in the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate and the Five-Country Energy Ministerial. (J Contemp China/GIGA)

The way we generate and use energy has constantly changed. In recent decades it has become the role of the National Grid, gas network, and multinational energy companies to deliver nearly all the energy: heat, electricity and transport fuels. We interact with energy via familiar light switches, gas boilers and petrol stations. In the future, delivery of and demand for energy in Scotland will be transformed. The Scottish Government's ambition is to see an increasing number of new sustainable energy and district heating networks developed across the country to make the best use of natural energy sources including unused and renewable heat. This can help cut carbon emissions, reduce fuel bills and combat fuel poverty. Energy Masterplanning can assist developers and local authorities plan this process better, provide for 'future proofing' for communities and assist in using energy more efficiently.

In the Winter of 2016 the European Commission published a package of proposals for the reform of EU energy legislation. This contribution deals with the question what can energy consumers expect from the proposals regarding their rights and chances to actively participate in the energy market in the transition towards a Smart Energy System. It is positive that the package proposes to enhance consumer protection and consumer empowerment by clarifying and expanding the rights for the so called "active" consumers, including prosumers. Whether the consumer will really be empowered to take part in the energy market will to a large extent depend on several legal and economic factors. First, Member States still have considerable leeway to specify the main principles regarding tariff regulation, the role of distribution system operators (DSOs) and consumer participation. The exact specification of these principles is complex and involves careful balancing of short and long term interests of consumers. Second, behavioral economics' research shows, that consumer behavior very often is not rational nor energy efficient from the perspective of the consumers. Energy contracts will become more complex with different types of (eg. dynamic) retail prices. This creates a greater risk for consumers making wrong decisions in decision-making processes regarding energy (service) contracts. Therefore, care should be taken that newly generated data by smart devices such as smart meters is presented in a user friendly (transparent, verifiable, objective, personal) way to the energy consumers. Considering the uncertainties regarding future behavior of the energy consumer, the EU and national legal frameworks should not set the market design in stone. This entails that national regulatory authorities should be attributed sufficient leeway to assess the necessity and proportionality of the required level of consumer empowerment and access regulation and to adjust regulations when necessary.