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Ο Ενεργειακός καταναλωτής ως αυτοπαραγωγός (Master thesis)

Δαλακούρας, Κωνσταντίνος Θ.

Based on the recording and processing of the primary challenges of the European Energy Policy, the aim of the present postgraduate thesis is to highlight the priorities of a single unified energy and climate policy based on the energy consumer as a prosumer/active customer, i.e. the preeminent subject of the energy transition. The introductory part summarizes the political and historical events on which modern energy policy is based. Relatively extensive reference is made to the importance of RES internationally and to the presentation of the most specific types of Renewable Energy Sources (wind, hydroelectric, solar, geothermal energy, bioenergy) with their legal framework. The research is afterwards focused on the comparative approach of the concepts of Consumer and of the Energy Consumer in EU and Greek law. Based on the aforementioned chapters, we then focus on the more specific goals of our thesis that are found in showing the importance and evolution of the concept of the self-producer of energy in Greek (e.g., Law 4986/2022 and 5037/2023) and EU law (e.g. regulatory framework of Directives 2018/2001/EU, 2019/944/EU and 2023/2413/EU) and especially in the expansion of the concept of the self-producer through the concept of the Active Customer in Directive 2019/944/EU, as well as the detailed presentation of most specific types of self-producers of energy. In the thesis, significant focus is also given to the more specific aspects of self-produced energy, including Energy Communities of all forms, self-production with energy efficiency applications and self-production through energy flexibility schemes (smart metering, energy storage, aggregators). Furthermore, as a necessary continuation, the principal economic models of self-production are presented (Net-Metering, Virtual Net-Metering, Net-Billing, Feed In Tariff, Feed in Premium, Power Purchase Agreement) and then we analyze the evolution of the legal protection provided in the self-generation sector of Renewable Energy Sources. Finally, specific institutional implications of the support of renewable energy sources and self-production in the energy independence of the EU are examined, as well as the projected prospects for the total decarbonization of the European energy space, alongside the numerous challenges that have arisen with the development of the RES and the energy autoproduction sectors.