Rita Santos Costa is a PhD student in Engineering and Public Policy at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST). She holds an Integrated Master’s degree in Energy and Environmental Engineering from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon. Her professional background includes experience in the development of Energy Communities, as well as the licensing and development of utility-scale renewable energy, storage, and hybridisation projects. Currently pursuing her doctoral studies, focusing on the nexus of digital innovation and public policy within the energy sector. Her research, supervised by Professor Inês Carrilho-Nunes from CEGIST, aims to explore the impacts of these technologies as tools to combat energy poverty and promote a just energy transition. Rita’s research interests lie in the strategic governance of digitalisation and innovation at the intersection of technology and policy, enabling more equitable and sustainable energy systems.

Keywords: Energy Policies | Energy Transition | Digitalisation