Reviewing the development of network access charges in the German electricity market since 2002 reveals significant variation. While some firms continually increased or decreased their access charges, a variety of firms exhibited discontinuous behavior with price changes in both directions. From...

This article analyses the flexibility of the German power market with respect to the integration of an increasing share of electricity from renewable energy sources. Flexibility limiting system components, which cause negative prices are explained and illustrated for the German market. Then, the...

In January 2009 Germany introduced incentive regulation for the electricity distribution sector based on results obtained from econometric and nonparametric benchmarking analysis. One main problem for the regulator in assigning the relative efficiency scores are unobserved firm-specific factors...

We use a quantitative electricity market model to analyze the welfare effects of refunding a share of the emission trading proceeds to support renewable energy technologies that are subject to experience effects. We compare effects of supporting renewable energies under both perfect and...

Tradable black (CO2) and green (renewables) quotas gain in popularity and stringency within climate policies of many OECD countries. The overlapping regulation through both instruments, however, may have important adverse economic implications. Based on stylized theoretical analysis and...

Die im vorliegenden Regierungsentwurf angestrebte Liberalisierung der Stromwirtschaft beinhaltet die Schaffung eines Durchleitungsmodells unter grundsätzlicher Partizipation aller Endkundenkategorien. Widerstand gegen den Regierungsentwurf formiert sich insbesondere in den Reihen der kommunalen...

The paper is the first productivity analysis of a large number of German electricity distributors to date. In it, we address both traditional issues of electricity sector benchmarking, such as the role of scale effects and optimal utility size, as well as new evidence specific to the situation...