Advanced energy technologies and governance
ETI success depends on effective cooperation between public and private actors as well as various sectors. Success largely depends on how effectively it is governed and regulated. As such, it is necessary to understand the patterns and processes of ETI as they relate to government policy. The G-ETI (The governance of energy technology innovation: Investigating regulatory regimes in shale gas) project focused on government policy in ETI, particularly the assessment of the emerging shale gas industry. Shale gas is an increasingly key source of natural gas in the United States as the country continues to shift away from coal in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. American shale gas exploration and extraction activities have not been lost on Europe, given the continent's own large reserves. Project partners used the example of shale gas to study how regulatory regimes change in a new sector and how relevant stakeholders engage in various national settings. The industry also provided an opportunity to assess the prospects of and barriers to technology transfer when changing regulatory regimes. Detailed country-level data on regulatory energy regimes in Bulgaria, Poland and the United States was gathered, mainly through interviews. This resulted in a model for regulatory and policy regimes. Researchers examined the links between policy regimes and energy technology transfer in shale gas in the three countries. Project outcomes were disseminated at high-level international conferences and workshops. Networking and outreach activities are also underway in American and European shale gas circles and the wider unconventional fuels community. G-ETI is making an important contribution to the body of knowledge concerning energy regulatory governance, regimes and policy transfer. This will improve our understanding of what factors shape energy policies that get implemented and their impact. The project also reflected on the larger geopolitical challenges pertaining to European energy given the dominance of Russia as the natural gas supplier in central eastern Europe. G-ETI and its findings have a significant socio-economic impact and are highly relevant. These findings have been used to inform academic debates on regulatory governance and policy regimes and have also generated several high impact journal articles. This will support dialogue between different sectors and disciplines, a key aim of the European Research Area.
