A considerable literature has extolled the virtues of transitioning away from rate-of-return regulation for infrastructure-intensive industries. I find that for a large-scale transmission network like the U.S. natural gas pipeline system, transmission capacity under rate-of-return regulation may...

Renewable portfolio standards (RPS) are the most popular U.S. state-level policy tools for promoting deployment of electricity from renewable energy (RES-E). While several econometric studies have estimated the effect of RPS policies on RES-E deployment, results are sometimes contradictory....

Electricity resource adequacy is the most urgent and controversial challenge facing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market. The policy discussions have neglected some very simple steps that could be taken to promote demand response and reduce peak demand. An allocation of some...

This working paper provides details of the Australian National Electricity Market (ANEM) model version 1.10 used in the research project titled: An investigation of the impacts of increased power supply to the national grid by wind generators on the Australian electricity industry. The paper...

We analyze the design of policies to promote efficient distributed generation (DG) of electricity. The optimal policy varies with the set of instruments available to the regulator and with the prevailing DG production technology. DG capacity charges often play a valuable role in inducing optimal...

We measure the degree of market power execution and inefficiencies in Alberta's restructured electricity market. Using hourly wholesale market data from 2008 to 2014, we find that firms exercise substantial market power in the highest demand hours with limited excess production capacity. The...

This article explores key market design issues to be addressed in future electricity markets dominated by intermittent renewable generation with near zero private marginal costs for generating electricity. Changing technology mixes will change market outcomes, but they do not change the...

A common view in retail electricity markets is that retailers discriminate based on consumers' loyalty: loyal consumers pay more. The premium is colloquially known as a “loyalty tax” or “loyalty premium”. Reflecting this understanding Australia's governments, regulators and consumer...

Due to low natural gas prices and the environmental advantages of natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) compared to coal, NGCC is replacing coal generators as the inframarginal providers of electricity. However, on average, NGCCs are running only 54 percent of the time. Utilizing excess NGCC...

Some restructured power systems rely on audited cost information instead of competitive bids for the dispatch and pricing of electricity in real time, particularly in hydro systems in Latin America. Audited costs are also substituted for bids in US markets when local market power is demonstrated...