This paper estimates the level of transient and persistent efficiency in the use of electricity in Swiss households using the generalized true random effects model (GTREM). A panel dataset of 1,994 Swiss households from 2010 to 2014 collected via a household survey is used to estimate an...

In this article, we investigate the heterogeneity in household electricity demand in Switzerland. We use a quantile regression approach in order to assess the impacts of electricity prices, income and other socio-demographic characteristics across consumer groups with increasing energy...

Electrification typically promotes economic development and enhances household wellbeing. However, how electrification affects the economic activities of different demographic groups is not yet sufficiently understood. Focusing only on aggregate household-level outcomes may overlook unequal...

Prosumers are households that are both producers and consumers of electricity. A prosumer has a grid-connected decentralized production unit (DPU) and makes two types of exchanges with the grid: energy imports when the local production is insuffcient to match the local consumption and energy...

Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) has recently been receiving increasing recognition in policy debates. Various aspects of possible regulatory frameworks for its implementation are beginning to be discussed in Europe. One of the issues associated with the wide use of CCS is that it...

The EU-wide Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), established in 2005, is a key pillar of Europe¿s strategy to attain compliance with the Kyoto Protocol. Under this scheme, CO2 allowances have thus far been allocated largely free of charge. This paper demonstrates that such cost-free allocation,...

We review the recent empirical research concerning market power on the Nordic wholesale market for electricity, Nord Pool. There is no evidence of blatant and systematic exploitation of system level market power on Nord Pool. However, generation companies seem from time to time able to take...

Ein hoher Strombedarf ist ein wesentliches Merkmal entwickelter Volkswirtschaften. Die großen Vorteile der elektrischen Energie müssen aber teuer erkauft werden. Neben dem hohen Kapitalaufwand zur Erstellung der Infrastruktur geraten die mit der Stromerzeugung verbundenen...

Der Ausstieg aus der Kernenergie und die angestrebte Energiewende werden vermutlich zu steigenden Strompreisen führen. Einigen Schätzungen zufolge könnten die Preise für Strom bis zum Jahr 2020 um bis zu 30% angehoben werden. Wer trägt die Hauptlast der hohen Kosten? Kann es gelingen, die...