Despite a 30-year long history, Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) remain controversial and debates continue to surround their efficacy in leading the low-carbon transition in the electricity sector. Contributing to the ongoing debates is the lack of definitive causal evidence on their impact...

Power systems with high shares of wind and solar power have to balance their intermittent nature. Pumped-hydro storage plants can provide the required flexibility, while thermal backup plants offer an alternative. This paper proposes a capacity planning model to describe the efficient technology...