Profile

Dr. Lea Diestelmeier works at the Groningen Centre of Energy Law and Sustainability (Faculty of Law, University of Groningen) in the Netherlands. Her research expertise includes EU law in general and in particular EU energy law with a focus on the electricity sector and decentral solutions for the energy transition. Her Ph.D. thesis develops a legal framework which incentivises smart electricity systems in the EU context. Building on findings of her Ph.D. thesis, Lea's research interest further developed towards "energy communities" which offer alternative small-scale ways for energy supply. Beyond the implementation and operation of new technologies, she is also interested in how "energy communities" facilitate broader policy goals such as democratization and justice. Legal questions thus not only relate to the regulation of entities in a liberalised market setting, but also to public participation and the distribution of costs and benefits. She mainly teaches in the LLM programme "Energy and Climate Law" and she presents frequently at conferences and seminars.