REGULATION, TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY AND ENERGY-POLICY - THE MISSING LINK

Two new regulatory agencies were established as part of the process of privatization of the gas and electricity industries in the UK and, subsequently, an independent Energy Saving Trust was set up. This paper explores some of the problems these bodies face in attempting to operate effectively, with regard to the development and deployment of new renewable energy and energy-saving technologies, in the absence of a fully developed national energy policy. It also asks whether they can be seen as in any way prototypes for more radical, interventionist types of regulatory agency, and whether, as some interventionists would prefer, these agencies could play a more positive role in shaping the development of technology and technology policy.