In recent years, the use of photovoltaic-based distributed electricity generation has played a key role in achieving climate and energy policy goals. The energy market is changing rapidly from centralized generation towards unbundling generation, transmission, distribution, and supply activities. As energy consumers also become producers, a new energy market player—the prosumer—is emerging. The role of the prosumer as a market player can be analyzed in terms of implemented technological solutions, economic assessment, environmental impact, and legal regulation requirements. The aim of this article is to investigate the importance and compatibility of energy prosumers with energy justice theory in the context of European Union (EU) law. The authors concluded first that an energy prosumer will help to meet energy justice goals only if government ensures support for generation facilities for low-income consumers, as only then can intrageneration equity be achieved. Second, seeking to ensure equality among places with different energy sources, the government should promote the development of generation facilities using different renewable energy sources. Third, the short-term electricity market, which may allow energy prosumers to participate, should be developed.
Further increases in the number of photovoltaic installations in industry and residential buildings will require technologically and economically flexible energy storage solutions. Some countries utilize net-metering strategies, which use national networks as “virtual batteries.” Despite the financial attractiveness, net-metering faces many technological and economical challenges. It could also lead to the negative tendencies in prosumer behavior, such as a decrease in motivation for the self-consumption of photovoltaic (PV)-generated electricity. Batteries, which are installed on the prosumer’s premises, could be a solution in a particular case. However, the price for battery-based storage solutions is currently sufficiently unattractive for the average prosumer. This paper aimed to present a comparison of the economic and energy related aspects between net-metering and batteries for a single case study by considering the Lithuanian context. The net present value, degree of self-sufficiency, internal rate of return, payback time, and quantified reduction of carbon emission were calculated using a specially developed Prosumer solution simulation tool (Version 1.1, Delloite, Madrid, Spain) for both the PV and net-metering and PV and batteries cases. The received results highlight that the battery-based energy storage systems are currently not an attractive alternative in terms of price where net-metering is available; a rather radical decrease in the installation price for batteries is required.
Since Lithuania’s independence in 1991, sixteen banks in the country have gone bankrupt. From 2011 to 2013 two banks-the fifth and sixth largest banks in the country- went bankrupt and three credit unions collapsed. One more credit union collapsed in 2014. One of the questions not yet posed in the context of this crisis of financial institutions in Lithuania is the question: “Where were the lawyers?” This article focuses on a comparative analysis of the regulation and practice of the legal profession in considering whether and how outside and inside bank and corporate lawyers can be effective gatekeepers, foreseeing, preventing, and mitigating such collapses. This comparative research concludes with propositions for changing legal profession regulations as well as lawyers’ and corporate officers’ education.
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