SMART GRIDS AND THE GREEN TRANSITION: Shaping the Future of Europe’s Internal Electricity Market

Europe’s energy system stands at a historic crossroads. The convergence of ambitious climate goals, technological innovation, and urgent security concerns has pushed energy law to the forefront of European policymaking. This book offers a comprehensive examination of how smart grids, digitalisation, and market integration are transforming the EU’s electricity sector―reshaping the legal frameworks that govern everything from consumer rights and renewable integration to data protection and cross-border trade.
Tracing developments from the Third Energy Package to the European Green Deal, Fit for 55, and REPowerEU, the analysis highlights how law has evolved from market liberalisation to steering the clean and digital transition. It explores the opportunities and challenges of deploying smart grids as the “backbone” of a decarbonised system, while addressing pressing regulatory issues such as cybersecurity, interoperability, and the rise of energy communities and prosumers.
Designed for legal scholars, policymakers, and practitioners, this book provides both doctrinal clarity and forward-looking insights into one of the most dynamic fields of European law. It demonstrates that the future of Europe’s internal electricity market―and its ability to deliver sustainability, security, and affordability―depends not only on technology and policy, but on the adaptability of law itself.

Professor Dr. Róbert Szuchy is a Hungarian legal scholar specialising in energy, corporate, and commercial law, with particular expertise in European regulatory frameworks. He serves as Vice-Rector for Education and Professor of Law at Károli Gáspár University, where he leads research and teaching in energy and natural resources law. He is the author of several books and numerous articles, and a frequent speaker at international conferences on renewable energy and energy efficiency. Professor Szuchy is also active in scholarly and professional organisations, including EFELA and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and has been honoured with the Knight’s Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit for his contributions to legal scholarship.