A hydrothermal coordination model for electricity markets: theory and practice in the case of the Greek electricity market regulatory framework

The Renewable Energy Directive and the Electricity Market Directive, both parts of the Clean Energy for all Europeans Package (issued in 2019), provide supranational rules for renewable energy communities and citizen energy communities. Since national transpositions need to be completed within two years, Austria has already drafted corresponding legislation. This article aims at providing a detailed comparison of the European guidelines and the transposition into Austrian law. The comparison not only shows how, and to what extent, the European guidelines are transposed into Austrian law, but also helps to identify loopholes and barriers. The subsequent discussion of these issues as well as positive aspects of the Austrian transposition may be advantageous for legislators and policy makers worldwide in their process of designing a coherent regulatory framework. It is concluded that experts from different areas (i.e., project developers, scientists concerned with energy communities, energy suppliers and grid operators) should be closely involved in the law-making process in order to introduce different perspectives so that a consistent and supportive regulatory framework for energy communities is created.

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Prosumers’ Behavior under a Regulation That Encourages Strict Self-Sufficiency. The Case of Spanish Photovoltaic Micro-Generation

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14041114 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 1114

Author(s):

Pere Mir-Artigues ◽

Pablo del Río

Keyword(s):

Electricity Markets ◽

Electricity Market ◽

Specific Form ◽

Economic Behavior ◽

Distribution Grid ◽

Self Sufficiency ◽

Regulatory Limits ◽

Regulatory Measures ◽

Self Production ◽

Municipal Level

The reduction of equipment costs encourages the diffusion of photovoltaic micro-generation, however, proper regulatory measures should be implemented to facilitate self-production dissemination and to promote the emergence of new electricity markets which integrate prosumers. The specific form of these markets will depend on the level of prosumers’ self-sufficiency and the type of grid to which they will be connected. Unfortunately, Spain has been an example of resistance to micro-generation deployment. However, some things have started to change recently, albeit only to a certain extent. This article explains the key elements of the latest regulation of photovoltaic micro-generation in Spain and, through a stylized model, describes the economic behavior of prosumers in such a regulatory framework. It is concluded that this regulation only encourages prosumer plants which are strictly focused on self-sufficiency because it discourages exports and limits capacities and this regulation discourages the smart renewal of the distribution grid because it prevents prosumers from participating in the electricity market. It is recommended that the aforementioned regulatory limits be removed and pilot experiences for the market participation of prosumers be promoted by creating the appropriate technical and regulatory conditions, for example, at the municipal level.

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Electricity Markets during the Liberalization: The Case of a European Union Country

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14144317 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (14) ◽

pp. 4317

Author(s):

Štefan Bojnec ◽

Alan Križaj

Keyword(s):

Electricity Markets ◽

Electricity Market ◽

Renewable Energy Sources ◽

Primary Energy ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Daily Maximum ◽

Energy Prices ◽

Electricity Prices ◽

Electricity Power

This paper analyzes electricity markets in Slovenia during the specific period of market deregulation and price liberalization. The drivers of electricity prices and electricity consumption are investigated. The Slovenian electricity markets are analyzed in relation with the European Energy Exchange (EEX) market. Associations between electricity prices on the one hand, and primary energy prices, variation in air temperature, daily maximum electricity power, and cross-border grid prices on the other hand, are analyzed separately for industrial and household consumers. Monthly data are used in a regression analysis during the period of Slovenia’s electricity market deregulation and price liberalization. Empirical results show that electricity prices achieved in the EEX market were significantly associated with primary energy prices. In Slovenia, the prices for daily maximum electricity power were significantly associated with electricity prices achieved on the EEX market. The increases in electricity prices for households, however, cannot be explained with developments in electricity prices on the EEX market. As the period analyzed is the stage of market deregulation and price liberalization, this can have important policy implications for the countries that still have regulated and monopolized electricity markets. Opening the electricity markets is expected to increase competition and reduce pressures for electricity price increases. However, the experiences and lessons learned among the countries following market deregulation and price liberalization are mixed. For industry, electricity prices affect cost competitiveness, while for households, electricity prices, through expenses, affect their welfare. A competitive and efficient electricity market should balance between suppliers’ and consumers’ market interests. With greening the energy markets and the development of the CO2 emission trading market, it is also important to encourage use of renewable energy sources.

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Regulation EU 2017/745 on medical devices – implementation analysis in Portugal by the distributors

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.1214 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

H Vilaça

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Medical Devices ◽

Stakeholder Involvement ◽

Implementation Process ◽

Regulatory Framework ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Public Health Action ◽

Study Implementation ◽

Implementation Analysis

Abstract The Regulation responds to legislation failures in the European regulatory framework on medical devices (MD), which in turn led to public health issues. Two media scandals triggered the final actions on the elaboration of this EU Regulation, which was already being thought off in a context of fast MD development, and on the commitment of member-states to harmonize legislation in order to better manage resources. This Regulation is expected to address detected gaps, and contribute to the protection of European citizens' health by ensuring high quality and safety of MD, through advocating for more transparency, vigilance, and traceability. A technique to evaluate policies is the implementation analysis, as it links theory and practice. By understanding it, it is possible to ascertain if, in fact, the Regulation will contribute, as proposed, to improve public health. The implementation analysis framework I developed can be used in other countries affected by this Regulation, and may even be extrapolated to other scenarios. Entry into force 25/05/17.Full application 05/20. This qualitative study uses document analysis and semi-structured interviews to collect data, and literature review to frame the situation and to study implementation analysis. The questions are: identify the facilitators and resistance points of the implementation; explore perceptions of the Portuguese MD distributors; understand the policy implementation pathway; and have a picture of the implementation status in Portugal. The results can be summarized as: implementers are interested in complying with the Regulation; there is stakeholder involvement in policy making and throughout the implementation process; the main points of resistance, difficulties and the facilitators are identified; and the Regulation is being implemented according to the timelines. The public health action brought by the policy is that each economic operator is an active actor on vigilance and patient safety across MD lifecycle. Key messages If we are interested in the extent to which a particular polity is able to solve the problems with which it is confronted, we need to study the way in which the law is executed in practice. Focus on the effective implementation of the new regulatory framework on medical devices to protect patients and ensure it addresses new and emerging challenges.

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Competition in Power Generation: Ex-ante Analysis of Indonesia’s Electricity Market

Energies ◽

10.3390/en13246741 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (24) ◽

pp. 6741

Author(s):

Dzikri Firmansyah Hakam ◽

Sudarso Kaderi Wiyono ◽

Nanang Hariyanto

Keyword(s):

Power System ◽

Market Structure ◽

Market Power ◽

Electricity Markets ◽

Electricity Market ◽

Regulatory Reform ◽

Optimal Number ◽

Load Flow ◽

Utility Company ◽

Competitive Electricity Markets

This research optimises the mix and structure of Generation Companies (GenCos) in the Sumatra power system, Indonesia. Market power, indicating the ability to raise prices profitably above the competitive level, tends to be a significant problem in the aftermath of electricity market restructuring. In the process of regulatory reform and the development of competitive electricity markets, it is desirable and practical to establish an efficient number of competitor GenCos. Simulations of a power system account for multi-plant mergers of GenCos subject to a regulatory measure of the Residual Supply Index and the influence of direct current load flow and the topology of the system. This study simulates the Sumatra power system in order to determine the following: optimal market structure, efficient GenCo generation mix, and the optimal number of competitive GenCos. Further, this study seeks to empirically optimise the electricity generation mix and electricity market structure of the Sumatra power system using DC load flow optimisation, market power index, and multi-plant monopoly analysis. The simulations include generation and transmission constraints to represent network constraints. This research is the first to analyse the Sumatra power system using imperfect (Cournot) competition modelling. Furthermore, this study is the first kind to optimise the mix and structure of the Sumatra generation power market. The guidelines and methodology in this research can be implemented in other countries characterised by a monopoly electricity utility company.

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Decentralized Prosumer-Centric P2P Electricity Market Coordination with Grid Security

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14154665 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (15) ◽

pp. 4665

Author(s):

Duarte Kazacos Winter ◽

Rahul Khatri ◽

Michael Schmidt

Keyword(s):

Electricity Markets ◽

Electricity Market ◽

Power Flow ◽

Power Plants ◽

Optimal Power Flow ◽

Free Market ◽

Economic Value ◽

New Paradigm ◽

Grid Security ◽

Virtual Power Plants

The increasing number of prosumers and the accompanying greater use of decentralised energy resources (DERs) bring new opportunities and challenges for the traditional electricity systems and the electricity markets. Microgrids, virtual power plants (VPPs), peer-to-peer (P2P) trading and federated power plants (FPPs) propose different schemes for prosumer coordination and have the potential of becoming the new paradigm of electricity market and power system operation. This paper proposes a P2P trading scheme for energy communities that negotiates power flows between participating prosumers with insufficient renewable power supply and prosumers with surplus supply in such a way that the community welfare is maximized while avoiding critical grid conditions. For this purpose, the proposed scheme is based on an Optimal Power Flow (OPF) problem with a Multi-Bilateral Economic Dispatch (MBED) formulation as an objective function. The solution is realized in a fully decentralized manner on the basis of the Relaxed Consensus + Innovations (RCI) algorithm. Network security is ensured by a tariff-based system organized by a network agent that makes use of product differentiation capabilities of the RCI algorithm. It is found that the proposed mechanism accurately finds and prevents hazardous network operations, such as over-voltage in grid buses, while successfully providing economic value to prosumers’ renewable generation within the scope of a P2P, free market.

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Credible Peer-to-Peer Trading with Double-Layer Energy Blockchain Network in Distributed Electricity Markets

Electronics ◽

10.3390/electronics10151815 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (15) ◽

pp. 1815

Author(s):

Longze Wang ◽

Yu Xie ◽

Delong Zhang ◽

Jinxin Liu ◽

Siyu Jiang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Double Layer ◽

Electricity Markets ◽

Electricity Market ◽

Peer To Peer ◽

Malicious Nodes ◽

Energy Trading ◽

Contract Performance ◽

Trading Model ◽

Consensus Information ◽

Available Information

Blockchain-based peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading is one of the most viable solutions to incentivize prosumers in distributed electricity markets. However, P2P energy trading through an open-end blockchain network is not conducive to mutual credit and the privacy protection of stakeholders. Therefore, improving the credibility of P2P energy trading is an urgent problem for distributed electricity markets. In this paper, a novel double-layer energy blockchain network is proposed that stores private trading data separately from publicly available information. This blockchain network is based on optimized cross-chain interoperability technology and fully considers the special attributes of energy trading. Firstly, an optimized ring mapping encryption algorithm is designed to resist malicious nodes. Secondly, a consensus verification subgroup is built according to contract performance, consensus participation and trading enthusiasm. This subgroup verifies the consensus information through the credit-threshold digital signature. Thirdly, an energy trading model is embedded in the blockchain network, featuring dynamic bidding and credit incentives. Finally, the Erenhot distributed electricity market in China is utilized for example analysis, which demonstrates the proposed method could improve the credibility of P2P trading and realize effective supervision.

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Prosumer Community Portfolio Optimization via Aggregator: The Case of the Iberian Electricity Market and Portuguese Retail Market

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14133747 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (13) ◽

pp. 3747

Author(s):

Ricardo Faia ◽

Tiago Pinto ◽

Zita Vale ◽

Juan Manuel Corchado

Keyword(s):

Portfolio Optimization ◽

Electricity Markets ◽

Electricity Market ◽

Retail Market ◽

Wholesale Market ◽

Generation Capacity ◽

Wholesale Electricity Market ◽

Portfolio Optimization Model ◽

Photovoltaic Generators

The participation of household prosumers in wholesale electricity markets is very limited, considering the minimum participation limit imposed by most market participation rules. The generation capacity of households has been increasing since the installation of distributed generation from renewable sources in their facilities brings advantages for themselves and the system. Due to the growth of self-consumption, network operators have been putting aside the purchase of electricity from households, and there has been a reduction in the price of these transactions. This paper proposes an innovative model that uses the aggregation of households to reach the minimum limits of electricity volume needed to participate in the wholesale market. In this way, the Aggregator represents the community of households in market sales and purchases. An electricity transactions portfolio optimization model is proposed to enable the Aggregator reaching the decisions on which markets to participate to maximize the market negotiation outcomes, considering the day-ahead market, intra-day market, and retail market. A case study is presented, considering the Iberian wholesale electricity market and the Portuguese retail market. A community of 50 prosumers equipped with photovoltaic generators and individual storage systems is used to carry out the experiments. A cost reduction of 6–11% is achieved when the community of households buys and sells electricity in the wholesale market through the Aggregator.

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Investment Incentives in Competitive Electricity Markets

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app8101978 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (10) ◽

pp. 1978 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Jaber Valinejad ◽

Taghi Barforoshi ◽

Mousa Marzband ◽

Edris Pouresmaeil ◽

Radu Godina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electricity Markets ◽

Electricity Market ◽

Planning Horizon ◽

Optimization Method ◽

Design Criterion ◽

Mixed Integer ◽

Investment Incentives ◽

Mixed Integer Linear Program ◽

Interconnected Power System ◽

The Impact

This paper presents the analysis of a novel framework of study and the impact of different market design criterion for the generation expansion planning (GEP) in competitive electricity market incentives, under variable uncertainties in a single year horizon. As investment incentives conventionally consist of firm contracts and capacity payments, in this study, the electricity generation investment problem is considered from a strategic generation company (GENCO) ′ s perspective, modelled as a bi-level optimization method. The first-level includes decision steps related to investment incentives to maximize the total profit in the planning horizon. The second-level includes optimization steps focusing on maximizing social welfare when the electricity market is regulated for the current horizon. In addition, variable uncertainties, on offering and investment, are modelled using set of different scenarios. The bi-level optimization problem is then converted to a single-level problem and then represented as a mixed integer linear program (MILP) after linearization. The efficiency of the proposed framework is assessed on the MAZANDARAN regional electric company (MREC) transmission network, integral to IRAN interconnected power system for both elastic and inelastic demands. Simulations show the significance of optimizing the firm contract and the capacity payment that encourages the generation investment for peak technology and improves long-term stability of electricity markets.

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