The commercial value added in electricity distribution networks and smart grids is increasing. Concerns about competition on a level-playing field are raised and the debate on vertical network unbundling is beginning to address the level of the distribution networks. With regard to the...

This article analyses cross-border effects of capacity mechanisms and discusses whether such mechanisms countervail the goals of European Market Integration. Using a two-country-model, the countries' policy options are analysed from a game-theoretical viewpoint. A model simulation identifies the...

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the impact of vertical unbundling on German electric utilities. Our research mainly relies on in-depth interviews with sector-experts from the German utilities. We will discuss both short-term changes and the long-term impact on competition in the...

What is a good balance between competition and coordination in network industries? Network unbundling aims to promote competition, but this has to be balanced against the downside of unbundling: firm-internal coordination falls away and must be replaced by external market mechanisms. This is a...

How should we select winning bids of generation units for strategic reserves that consist of capacity bids and energy bids? In this paper, we analyze two selecting mechanisms (scoring rules): "simultaneous" and "sequential". In case of a simultaneous scoring rule, capacity and energy bids are...

The next years should bring about a rapid transformation of the electricity sector towards high levels of renewable generation. Smart grids are seen as the silver bullet responding to the challenge of integrating renewables, managing flexibility, and keeping the costs down in distribution...

In Deutschland wird derzeit die Ausgestaltung der Anreizregulierungsverordnung für Energienetze für die dritte Regulierungsperiode (ab 2019) diskutiert. Im Kern steht der sachgerechte Umgang mit dem hohen Investitionsbedarf, vor dem viele Netzbetreiber stehen. Die preisbasierte...

The German energy transition massively alters the market structure of electricity supply and forces incumbent electric utilities to rethink their business strategies. We analyze three main developments that undermine the former market dominance of the “Big 4” incumbents in Germany. First,...

Self-supply can destabilize the finance of a distribution network. This paper analyses under which circumstances the tariff structure of a distribution network is stable or unstable under pressure of self-supply and provides recommendation how to change the tariff structure to restore stability...

Die Zunahme von Netzengpässen durch dezentrale Erzeuger erfordert eine aktive regulatorische Beanreizung von Maßnahmen des Engpassmanagements (EPM) als Alternative zum konventionellen Netzausbau. Gleichzeitig soll der Kostenanstieg mittels Effizienzanreizen begrenzt werden. Für die geplante...