Author Archives: EPRG Admin

FENCO-ERA Impact of Communication

Short Description: FENCO-ERA “Impact of Communication” The main assumption of the project is that communication on CCS should enable the public to develop their own well-considered opinions on the technologies, otherwise the strength with which the opinions on CCS are held will be very low and therefore these opinions will be very unstable. If public… Continue Reading

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Thorium Fuelled Accelerator Driven Subcritical Reactors for Power Generation

Short Description: Thorium Fuelled Accelerator Driven Subcritical Reactors for Power Generation This EPSRC responsive mode project concerned the economic and technical feasibility of a possible new type of nuclear power station fuelled with thorium and made functional by the addition of neutrons from a particle accelerator-based process. The work complemented to a wider set of… Continue Reading

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ISDCP

Short Description: ISDCP Domestic climate policies play an important part in shifting countries towards a low-carbon development trajectory. Six country case studies explore the domestic drivers and barriers for policies with climate (co-) benefits in developing countries. They were supported with analytic papers on intermediate indicators, lessons from the application of conditionality, the experience from… Continue Reading

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Financing Transmission for Switzerland

Short Description: Financing Transmission for Switzerland The aim of this report was to review the key economic issues, problems and potential solutions that the SFOE and any future Swiss regulator may face as Switzerland embarks on its reforms of the electricity sector and the EU takes further measures to create the Single Electricity Market. The… Continue Reading

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DTI/CCP (CO2 Capture Project) Communications

Short Description: DTI/CCP (CO2 Capture Project) Communications With funding from the then-UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Cambridge was responsible for coordinating a global assessment of barriers and opportunities to CCS in a number of countries including China, South Africa, India and Japan. Cambridge was responsible for the fieldwork in China together with partners… Continue Reading

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Benchmarking gas transmission companies

Short Description: Benchmarking gas transmission companies This project involved working with a number of European regulators to undertake international benchmarking between their gas transmission utilities and similar gas transmission utilities in the US. The project resulted in a report to the CEER highlighting the theoretical benefits of such international benchmarking in terms of identifying the… Continue Reading

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TOCSIN Technology- Oriented Cooperation and Strategies in India and China

Short Description: TOCSIN Technology- Oriented Cooperation and Strategies in India and China The FP6 TOCSIN project has evaluated climate change mitigation options in China and India and the conditions for strategic cooperation on research, development and demonstration (RD&D) and technology transfer with the European Union. In particular, the project investigated the strategic dimensions of RD&D… Continue Reading

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UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre (UKCCSRC)

Short description: UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre (UKCCSRC) The aim of the UKCCSRC is to provide a national focal point for CCS research and development in order to bring together the user community and academics to analyse problems, devise and carry out world-leading research and share delivery, thus maximising impact. The amount of… Continue Reading

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UK-SHEC

Short Description: UK-SHEC UKSHEC (United Kingdom Sustainable Hydrogen Energy Consortium) is a research programme that aims to develop new energy systems based on hydrogen and foster the adoption of renewable technologies, notably biomass and marine energy. The Consortium is Universities of Bath, Oxford, Birmingham, Cambridge, Glasgow, Manchester, Nottingham, Salford, Strathclyde, University College London and the… Continue Reading

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SUPERGEN – Flexnet

Short Description: SUPERGEN – Flexnet FlexNet aims to build on the work of FutureNet by investigating the major technical, economic, policy and social developments that need to happen to make flexible networks a reality. Thorough analysis is combined with illustrations of specific outputs where possible, so that ideas can be taken up and implemented by… Continue Reading

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SUPERGEN Futurenet

Short Description: SUPERGEN Futurenet The Future Network Technologies Consortium (FutureNet), which ran from 2003 to 2007, brought together engineers and social scientists from eight UK Universities. The consortium focused on researching the development of an electrical power network that would support and encourage renewable energy sources without compromising quality of service. The EPRG part of… Continue Reading

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CESSA (Coordinating European Security of Supply Activities)

Short Description: CESSA (Coordinating European Security of Supply Activities)   The CESSA research programme was financed by the European Union (EC, DG Research) under the Sixth RTD Framework Programme. The main research objectives were to study the Economics and policy interfaces for gas and nuclear in the context of energy security of supply and a… Continue Reading

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Towards a Sustainable Energy Economy (TSEC)

Short description: Towards a Sustainable Energy Economy The Electricity Policy Research Group (EPRG) was launched in May 2005 with funding under the ESRC’s Towards a Sustainable Energy Economy, to consolidate existing and fruitful research, to coordinate our future research programme, and to extend our network of Corporate and Institutional Members. The End of Award Report… Continue Reading

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EP 67

Karl Markiewicz, Nancy Rose, Catherine Wolfram Does Competition Reduce Costs? Assessing the Impact of Regulatory Restructuring on US Electric Generation Efficiency EP 67  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: This paper explores the empirical effects of competition on technical efficiency in the context of electricity industry restructuring. Restructuring programs adopted by many U.S. states made… Continue Reading

EP 66

Tooraj Jamasb, Michael Pollitt Electricity Market Reform in the European Union: Review of Progress towards Liberalisation and Integration EP 66  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: The energy market liberalisation process in Europe is increasingly focused on electricity market integration and related cross border issues. This signals that the liberalisation of national electricity markets is… Continue Reading

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EP 64

David Newbery Electricity Liberalisation in Britain: the quest for a satisfactory wholesale market design EP 64  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: Britain was the exemplar of electricity market reform, demonstrating the importance of ownership unbundling and workable competition in generation and supply. Privatisation created de facto duopolies that supported increasing price-cost margins and induced… Continue Reading

EP 63

Richard Green Electricity Transmission Pricing: How much does it cost to get it wrong? EP 63  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: Economists know how to calculate optimal prices for electricity transmission. These are rarely applied in practice. This paper develops a thirteen-node model of the transmission system in England and Wales, incorporating losses and… Continue Reading

EP 62

Stephen Littlechild, Carlos Skerk Regulation of Transmission Expansion in Argentina: Part II – Developments since the Fourth Line EP 62  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: Argentina’s 1992 transmission expansion policy was subsequently modified by, for example, including provision for transmission companies and proposing quality and substation expansions. There have been several such expansions, and… Continue Reading

EP 61

Stephen Littlechild, Carlos Sherk Regulation of Transmission Expansion in Argentina: Part I – State Ownership, Reform and the Fourth Line EP 61  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: From 1992 to 2002, major expansions of the Argentine electricity transmission sector depended on users proposing, voting and paying for such expansions, which were then put out… Continue Reading

EP 59

Karsten Neuhoff Large Scale Deployment of Renewables for Electricity Generation EP 59  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: Comparisons of resource assessments suggest resource constraints are not an obstacle to the large-scale deployment of renewable energy technologies. Economic analysis identifies barriers to the adoption of renewable energy sources resulting from market structure, competition in an… Continue Reading

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EP 58

Fabien Roques, David Newbery, William Nuttall Generation Adequacy and Investment Incentives in Britain: from the Pool to NETA EP 58  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: Three years after the controversial change of the British market design from compulsory Pool with capacity payments to decentralised energy-only New Electricity Trading Arrangements (NETA) market framework, we compare… Continue Reading

EP 57

Juan-Pablo Montero Tradable Permits with Incomplete Monitoring: Evidence from Santiago’s Particulate Permits Program EP 57 | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: I explore the advantages of tradable emission permits over uniform emission standards when the regulator has incomplete information on firms’ emissions and costs of production and abatement (e.g., air pollution in large cities). Because… Continue Reading

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EP 56

Juan-Pablo Montero Pollution Markets with Imperfectly Observed Emissions EP 56  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: I study the advantages of pollution permit markets over traditional standard regulations when the regulator has incomplete information on firms’ emissions and costs of production and abatement (e.g., air pollution in large cities). Because the regulator only observes each… Continue Reading

EP 55

Andrew Sweeting Market Power in the England and Wales Wholesale Electricity Market 1995-2000 EP 55 | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: This paper shows that generators exercised increasing market power in the England and Wales wholesale electricity market in the second half of the 1990s despite declining market concentration. It examines whether this was consistent… Continue Reading

EP 54

Paul Joskow Transmission Policy in the United States EP 54 | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: This paper provides an overview of the development of electric power transmission access, pricing and investment policies in the U.S. over the last 15 years and evaluates the current state of those policies. It includes a discussion of pre-liberalisation… Continue Reading

EP 53

Paul Joskow, Jean Tirole Reliability and Competitive Electricity Markets EP53  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: Deregulation of the electricity sector has resulted in conflict between the economic aims of creating competitive wholesale and retail markets, and an engineering focus on reliability of supply. The paper starts by deriving the optimal prices and investment program… Continue Reading

EP 52

Michael Pollitt Electricity Reform in Argentina: Lessons for Developing Countries EP 52  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: Argentina was one of the first countries in the world to implement a comprehensive reform of its electricity sector in the recent period. Among developing countries only Chile has had a comparably comprehensive and successful reform. This… Continue Reading

EP 51

Michael Pollitt Electricity Reform in Chile: Lessons for Developing Countries EP 51 | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: Chile was the first country in the world to implement a comprehensive reform of its electricity sector in the recent period. Among developing countries only Argentina has had a comparably comprehensive and successful reform. This paper traces… Continue Reading

EP 50

Paul Nillesen, Michael Pollitt The Consequences for Consumer Welfare of the 2001-2003 Electricity Distribution Price Review in The Netherlands EP 50  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: The Dutch regulatory process for setting the first X-Factors in the electricity distribution sector has gone badly wrong. During two-and-a-half years four different X-Factors were published by the… Continue Reading

EP 48

Karsten Neuhoff, David Newbery Integrating Energy Markets: Does Sequencing Matter? EP 48 | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: This paper addresses three questions that are relevant to integrating different regional transmission areas. Market integrating normally increases the number of competitors and should therefore reduce prices but the first section shows that prices could rise when… Continue Reading

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EP 47

Torraj Jamasb, Raffaella Mota, David Newbery, Michael Pollitt Electricity Sector Reform in Developing Countries: A Survey of Empirical Evidence on Determinants and Performance EP 47  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: This paper reviews the empirical evidence on electricity reform in developing countries. We find that country institutions andsector governance play an important role in… Continue Reading

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EP 46

Torraj Jamasb, David Newbery, Michael Pollitt Core Indicators for Determinants and Performance of Electricity Sector in Developing Countries EP 46 | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: Since the early 1990s, substantial resources and effort have been spent on implementing market-oriented electricity reform in developing countries. Important sectoral, economic, and social dimensions are involved in electricity… Continue Reading

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EP 45

Stephen Littlechild UK Domestic Energy Contracts: the 28 day rule and experience in Sweden EP 45 | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: In the UK, domestic customers must be able to terminate energy contracts at 28 days’ notice. This has been seen as a transitional protection for customers and for competition. This paper reviews the… Continue Reading

EP 44

Paul Joskow, Jean Tirole Retail Electricity Competition EP 44 | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: We explore the implications of load profiling of consumers whose traditional meters do not allow for measurement of their real time consumption. We find the competitive equilibrium does not support the Ramsey two-part tariff. By contrast, when consumers are billed… Continue Reading

EP 43

A Denny Ellerman, Florence Dubroeucq Sources of Emission Reductions: Evidence for US SO2 Emissions 1985-2002 EP 43 | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: An enduring issue in environmental regulation is whether to clean up existing “old” plants or in some manner to bring in new “clean” plants to replace the old. In this paper, a… Continue Reading

EP 42

Karsten Neuhoff, Laurens De Vries Insufficient Incentives for Investment in Electricity Generation EP 42  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: In theory, competitive electricity markets can provide incentives for efficient investment in generating capacity. We show that if consumers and investors are risk averse, investment is efficient only if investors in generating capacity can sign… Continue Reading

EP 41

Richard Green Did English Generators Play Cournot? Capacity withholding in the Electricity Pool EP 41 | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: Electricity generators can raise the price of power by withholding their plant from the market. We discuss two ways in which this could have affected prices in the England and Wales Pool. Withholding low-cost… Continue Reading

EP 40

Luis Olmos, Karsten Neuhoff Definition of a Balancing Point for Electricity Transmission Contracts EP 40  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: Electricity transmission contracts allocate scarce resources, allow hedging against locational price differences and provide information to guide investment. Liquidity is increased if all transmission contracts are defined relative to one balancing point, then a… Continue Reading

EPRG 39

Raffaella Mota Comparing Brazil and USA Electricity Performance: What was the Impact of Privatisation? EP 39 | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: Beginning in 1995 a large proportion of the Brazilian electricity distribution sector went through privatisation and restructuring, whereas privately-owned U.S. utilities did not suffer similar ownership change process. This paper is an empirical… Continue Reading

EP 38

Gert Brunekreeft Regulatory Issues in Merchant Transmission Investment EP 38  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: Driven by fear of underinvestment in network assets, merchant investment in electricity transmission networks (MTI) is now legally allowed. Given that MTI is a real possibility, regulators face a new set of questions. After classifying different types of MTI,… Continue Reading

EP 37

Stephen Littlechild Regulated and Merchant Interconnectors in Australia: SNI and Murraylink Revisited EP 37  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: This paper examines the history of the various actual and proposed interconnectors between New South Wales and Victoria into South Australia. It covers the period from the earliest proposal for a regulated interconnector to the… Continue Reading

EP 36

Roland Ismer, Karsten Neuhoff Border Tax Adjustments: A Feasible way to Support Stringent Emission Trading EP 36  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: CO2 emission certificates internalise effects of fossil fuel consumption on global climate and sea levels. If they are only implemented in some countries, then their effectiveness is limited; Consumption, production and investment… Continue Reading

EP 35

D Giannakis, Tooraj Jamasb, Michael Pollitt Benchmarking and Incentive Regulation of Quality of Service: an Application to the UK Electricity Distribution Utilities EP 35  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: Quality of service has emerged as an important issue in post-reform regulation of electricity distribution networks. Regulators have employed partial incentive schemes to promote cost… Continue Reading

EP 34

Janus Bialek Recent Blackouts in US and Continental Europe: Is Liberalisation to Blame? EP 34  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: The paper starts with a detailed technical overview of recent blackouts in the US, Sweden/Denmark and Italy in order to analyse common threads and lessons to be learnt. The blackouts have exposed a number… Continue Reading

EP 33

Richard Green Retail Competition and Electricity Contracts EP 33  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: Long-term contracts for electricity can counter market power and reduce prices in short-term markets. If electricity retailers face competition, however, companies signing long-term contracts are exposed to the risk that a fall in short-term prices would allow rivals to buy… Continue Reading

EPRG 0517

Hongliang Yang Overview of the Chinese Electricity Industry and Its Current Issues EPRG 0517  | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: In China, many ongoing problems in the electricity sector can be traced back to the old ‘centrally planned’ economy. Since the start of liberalization in the 1980s, the clash between a liberalized economy (excluding a… Continue Reading

EPRG 0516

Stephen Littlechild Beyond Regulation EPRG 0516 | Non-Technical Summary | PDF Abstract: The ‘standard model’ of electricity reform has been refined in many countries but not extended to others. Government is supplanting the role of regulation. Revised calculations suggest that the benefits of UK electricity privatisation were higher than previously estimated and more widely shared… Continue Reading