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This paper examines the determinants of electricity generator's trading strategies in the U.S. Acid Rain Market. Model estimates show that the SO2 allowances market is de facto regionalized due to the regionalization of the electricity market. The national dimension only appears when there are local imbalances in the electricity market that give strong incentives to search for a better deal outside of the generator's regional market. We also identify the importance of counterpart differentiation and the influence on the counterpart choice of the regulatory framework, market evolution and transaction size. These findings are shown to be robust to Enron's abnormal behavior during 2000-2001 and its subsequent bankruptcy. The results suggest that, contrary to received knowledge, abatement costs are not the only consideration when trading pollution allowances: market microstructure can play a crucial role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barriers to cross-border transmission on the United States--Mexico border, including labyrinthine permitting processes, have long impeded the development of valuable border-region power infrastructure. The historical origins of the electric power regulatory system offer some guidance for why the presidential permitting system exists in its present, tangled form. Recently, legislators have renewed efforts to amend cross-border infrastructure approval. Though these attempts have failed, a new set of legislative proposals has been making its way through the chambers and has a high chance of achieving success. This Note discusses these topics and closes by advocating for Congress to ease crossborder infrastructure permitting processes to benefit the economies and peoples on both sides of the United States-Mexico border. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In developing countries, mini-grids are seen as an important option to improve electrification rates in rural areas. In order to be successful, mini-grids face issues of operation and sizing of generation capacities. Current studies on the optimal sizing of mini-grids do not include capacity expansion feedbacks regarding the operator's or investor's long-term economic performance on growth in electricity usage, e.g. gap between demand and supply impacting the operator's income. Using a System Dynamics model, this paper compares the impact from two capacity expansion strategies on rural mini-grid operator's long-term economic performance. The two capacity expansion strategies are: a strategy with minimized costs and a strategy where only diesel power is allowed. Research shows that a cost-minimized capacity expansion strategy might not be the most beneficial solution for the operator's long term financial performance. Specifically, the high investment costs prohibit the implementation of the cost-minimized expansion strategy. In addition, the diesel-only expansion strategy suffers from high operational costs, which creates long-term challenges as the share of diesel increase. Therefore, the timeline of the investments and when to implement different strategies is important, creating a benefit for a System Dynamics approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Organic Rankine (ORC) and Kalina (KC) Cycles represent two different technologies suitable to exploit low and medium temperature geothermal heat resources. In this work, the performances of KC, CO 2 and ORC cycles, the latter using different working fluids, for power generation from two geothermal fluid reservoirs are compared from an energy and exergoeconomic perspective. Two different case studies are discussed: the first one referred to a medium-temperature heat source of 212 °C (Mt. Amiata, Italy), the second one to a low-temperature heat source of 120 °C (Pomarance geothermal basin, Italy). For each case study, cost rate balances and auxiliary equations for all components were evaluated, as well as the flow rate and unit exergy cost for each stream. The results for the medium temperature case study showed that, among the considered cycles, an ORC with R1233zd(E) achieves the best exergoeconomic performance. The cost of the produced electricity was found to be 8.85 c€/kW h, which is 3% lower than that of the KC. On the other hand, for the low temperature case study, the KC shows the best performance, being able to produce 22–42% more net power than the ORC; in this case, the cost of electricity produced by the KC was found at 12.5 c€/kW h, which is 24–34% lower than the typical value for an ORC with different working fluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electricity storage (ES) has the potential of offering several energy system benefits but different technologies also offer different services which can be traded on different markets. In this study, a combined assessment methodology is proposed, enabling a benchmark comparison of stationary electricity storage technologies for different time and system scales, considering their technical, economic and environmental performance. The results show that for short time scale (0.01 h), battery stands out with an advantage in terms of levelised costs, while Advanced Adiabatic (AA-) and Isothermal (I-) Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) have relatively low life cycle Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. For the medium time scale (4.5 h), I-CAES shows the best performance for small scale systems, while for large scale systems, Pumped Hydro Storage (PHS) and AA-CAES show best performance. In our long time scale (seasonal) scenario, Power-to-gas-to-power (P2G2P) has lower levelised costs due to low or avoided investment for storage of gas, but higher GHG emissions than other technologies. If existing reservoirs can be utilized for PHS, it can be economically competitive to P2G2P for seasonal storage. However, storage capacity required for seasonal storage should also be taken into account, for which P2G2P has more flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The abandonment of wind and PV power has become the Achilles heel that restricts the development of renewable energy in China, which is associated with institutional defects in China's Renewable Energy Law. As a priority area in energy development, renewable energy is not substantialized. Instead, it is undermined because the guarantee system for purchasing electricity, generated by the use of renewable energy resources, in full amount, is alienated by lower-level laws. The unestablished mandatory legal obligations and responsibilities in power grid transmission networks lead to difficulties in renewable energy power generation, transmission, and accommodation. Due to the lack of continuity and stability in the feed-in tariff and subsidy policies for renewable energy, investors cannot have reasonable expectations. China's Renewable Energy Law must be remedied to correct these existing institutional defects, and to solve the problem of wind and PV power abandonment in order to promote the healthy development of renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth of mobile communication technology and the corresponding significant increase in the number of cellular base stations (BSs) have increased operational expenses (OPEX) for mobile operators, due to increased electricity prices and fossil fuel consumption. Thus, identifying alternative solutions to reduce OPEX has become a major priority of mobile operators. Solar energy is considered an economically attractive and eco-friendly option. This paper examines solar energy solutions for different generations of mobile communications by conducting a comparative analysis of solar-powered BSs based on three aspects: architecture, energy production, and optimal system cost. In addition, the economic feasibility of the solar energy solution compared with conventional sources is discussed. The simulation results suggest that solar-powered BSs would be a suitable long-term solution for the mobile cellular network industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a unique and highly detailed data set on energy consumption at the appliance-level for 200 Swedish households, seemingly unrelated regression (SUR)-based end-use specific load curves are estimated. The estimated load curves are then used to explore possible restrictions on load shifting (e.g. the office hours schedule) as well as the cost implications of different load shift patterns. The cost implications of shifting load from "expensive" to "cheap" hours, using the Nord pool spot prices as a proxy for a dynamic price, are computed to be very small; roughly 2-4% reduction in total daily cost from shifting load up to five hours ahead, indicating small incentives for households (and retailers) to adopt dynamic pricing of electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable Portfolio Standards ( RPS) are U. S. state mandates that utilities produce some of their electricity using renewable energy sources in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While advocates highlight the potential long-term benefits of RPS, critics argue that RPS will increase electricity prices due to the higher costs of renewable energy generation. However, to date, there are no published empirical studies of the effect of RPS on electricity prices. Using state-level panel data from 1990 to 2011 and the difference-in-differences method, I find that implementation increases electricity prices when the RPS policy first becomes binding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) program in North America was recently implemented in Ontario, Canada to stimulate the generation of electricity from renewable sources. The life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and economics of electricity generation through anaerobic digestion (AD) of household source-separated organic waste (HSSOW) are investigated within the FiT program. AD can potentially provide considerable GHG emission reductions (up to 1 t CO2eq/t HSSOW) at relatively low to moderate cost (-$35 to 160/t CO2eq) by displacing fossil electricity and preventing the emission of landfill gas. It is a cost-effective GHG mitigation option compared to some other FiT technologies (e.g., wind, solar photovoltaic) and provides unique additional benefits (waste diversion, nutrient recycling). The combination of electricity sales at a premium rate, savings in waste management costs, and economies of scale allow AD facilities processing >30,000 t/yr to be cost-competitive against landfilling. However, the FiT does not sufficiently support smaller-scale facilities that are needed as a transition to larger, more economically viable facilities. Refocusing of the FiT program and waste policies are needed to support the adoption of AD of HSSOW, which has not yet been developed in the Province, while more costly technologies (e.g., photovoltaic) have been deployed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]