Digital Energy Efficiency Policy Library

Digital technologies enable more dynamic, efficient, reliable and sustainable energy systems. Digitalised power systems can harness demand-side flexibility to supply electricity at the right time, in the right place, at the lowest cost and with the lowest emissions, while keeping users comfort. Distributed energy resources, such as energy efficiency, smart demand response, smart electric vehicle charging, building-level energy storage and distributed solar photovoltaics, become more critical every year. These resources provide the flexibility needed to integrate generation from variable renewables. Thus, they are increasingly essential to countries that are growing the share of renewable power in their energy mix.

Digitalisation policies can help governments shape this rapidly developing field to ensure that new developments support affordable energy access for all and an accelerated trajectory toward net zero and other ambitious climate goals.

This library aims to identify the digitalisation policies in the energy sector of IEA and CETP member countries, including Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, and South Africa.

The library groups digital energy efficiency policies within the following categories:

• Smart Meters: Policies or programmes that incentivize or otherwise support the rollout of demand-side digital devices to monitor and optimize electricity consumption and performance.
• Targets, Plans and Framework Legislation: Policies that set targets or otherwise establish strategies for the energy sector that include relevant clauses around digitalization of energy systems.
• Buildings: Policies or programmes that support, incentivize, or mandate digital electricity devices and systems in the buildings and construction sector.
• Transport: Policies or programmes that support, incentivize, or mandate digital electricity devices and systems, like electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, in the transport sector.
• Demand Response: Policies or programmes that enable shifts to electricity demand over given time periods in response to supply availability without reduce overall power consumption.

This library has been developed thanks to the generous contributions of the Canadian government. This library also builds upon the joint IEA/IRENA Policy and Measures database. For more information, with any questions or to suggest new policies to include, please get in touch at 3DEN@iea.org.