Analysis of competition and market power in the wholesale electricity market in India

The electricity reforms were initiated in India with the objective of promoting competition in the electricity market. In order to promote competition, the Electricity Act 2003 was enacted and various policy initiatives were taken by the Government of India. Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) also facilitated competition through the regulatory framework of availability based tariff, Indian Electricity Grid Code, open access in inter-state transmission, inter-state trading and power exchanges. Despite these initiatives, electricity prices increased in the Wholesale Electricity Market in India (WEMI). This paper analyses the market structure and competitiveness in the WEMI. There are, of course, various potential reasons for the rise in the electricity price. This paper seeks to investigate, if market power was one of the reasons for increase in market prices. Concentration ratio, Herfindahl–Hirschman index, Supply Margin Assessment, and Residual Supply Index have been used to measure market power. This paper also uses the price–cost mark-up to examine, if exercise of market power led to higher margins. The analysis suggests that market power of firms may be part of the reason for the increase in electricity prices in WEMI. The study suggests various measures to increase competition in the WEMI.     

国外大功率风机技术竞争态势

由于风机单机功率越大每千瓦小时风电成本越低,因此,近年来德国、丹麦、美国主要风机生产厂家纷纷推出大功率风机,以适应全球风机市场对大功率风机愈来愈旺盛的需求。表1为Enercon、Multib-     

秸秆直接燃烧供热发电项目上网电价初步测算

研究确定生物质能源供热发电上网电价，对于促进中国秸秆直接燃烧供热发电产业的发展，具有重要作用。为了探索中国秸杆直燃供热发电上网电价及其变化规律，在秸秆资源可供应性调查基础上，报告测箅了当前中国秸秆直燃供热发电的上网电价，分析研究了电价构成、影响因素及其变化趋势，预测2005～2020年中国秸秆资源可供应量、供热发电规模、上网电量，并提出与中国秸秆直燃供热发电上网电价有关的结论。这些对十关心中国生物质能源发展的各级政府和国际组织、企业、机构及专家学者有很好的各考价值。     

风电设备公司展开兆瓦级竞争

国务院已经批准了《可再生能源中长期发展规划》.《规划》提出,到2020年,我国风电装机规模将达到3000万kW.截止2006年底,中国风电总装机容量仅260万kW左右.     

Marketing and selling solar energy equipment

The literature on creating consumer awareness and acceptance of solar water heating systems for marketing purposes is sparse. This paper discusses some of the sophisticated marketing techniques available and some results.Selling solar water heating systems in Northern European latitudes requires a degree of persistence and commitment that is probably not required in what are regarded as the “sunny climes” around the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Africa, South East Asia and Australasia.     

The New Electricity Market of Singapore: Regulatory framework,market power and competition

This study examines whether the New Electricity Market of Singapore (NEMS) is functioning at a workable level of competition. The generation market of the NEMS appears highly concentrated by a four-firm concentration ratio or the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index. However, other measures of market power present that the NEMS is working at close to a competitive market. First, there seems to be a number of effective competitors in the market. Second, Supply Margin Assessment and Residual Supply Index support that the market is competitive though there are some possibilities in which the largest generator or a few large generators jointly could still have market power. Third, the Lerner Index of the NEMS shows that the generation market is fairly competitive and the Lerner Index adjusted with an industry level price elasticity of demand implies that there has not been much exercise of market power. Finally, vesting contracts—a contractual obligation of a specified quantity of electricity supply to the market—have appeared to be a strong and effective tool to mitigate market power in the NEMS. The vesting contracts are considered the force behind the lowering in the average Uniform Singapore Electricity Price and the Lerner Index in 2004.     

Gas-on-gas competition in Shanghai

In common with other major economic centres in China, Shanghai's energy consumption has been increasing rapidly to support the high growth rate of its economy. To achieve rational, efficient and clean use of energy, together with improved environmental quality within the city, the Shanghai municipal government has decided to expand the supply and utilization of natural gas. Shanghai plans to increase the share of natural gas in its primary energy mix to 7 per cent by 2010, up from 3 per cent in 2005. This increase in natural gas demand has to be matched with a corresponding increase in supply. To date, the Shanghai region has relied on offshore extracted natural gas but this supply is limited due to the size of the reserves. Since 2005, the West–East pipeline has provided an alternative for Shanghai but demands from other regions could reduce the potential for expanding supplies from that source. Since domestic production will not be sufficient to meet demand in the near future, Shanghai is building a liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminal at the Yangshan deep-water port that would allow an additional supply of more than 3 billion cubic meters per year of natural gas. Malaysia has already committed to supply LNG to the Shanghai terminal at a price that is significantly higher than the wholesale “city-gate” price for natural gas transported via pipeline, but still lower than the gas price to end-use consumers. The presence of both an LNG terminal and a transmission pipeline that connects Shanghai to domestic gas-producing regions will create gas-on-gas competition. This study assesses the benefits of introducing such competition to one of China's most advanced cities under various scenarios for demand growth. In this paper, the impact of imported LNG on market concentration in Shanghai's gas market will be analysed using the Herfindahl–Hirschmann index (HHI) and the residual supply index (RSI). Our results show that Shanghai remains a supply-constrained gas market that will continue to rely upon gas supplies from the western provinces and imported LNG. After 2017, the gas market in Shanghai can be regarded as unconcentrated since its HHI fall below 1800 under a very high growth scenario. In terms of RSI, the gas market can be considered competitive at low, moderate and high growth consumption between 2012 and 2015.     

Estimating the power and number of microturbines in small-scale combined heat and power systems

Utilizing the combined heat and power (CHP) systems to produce both electricity and heat is growing rapidly due to their high efficiency and low emissions in domestic, commercial, and industrial applications. In the first two categories among available drivers, due to the compact size and low weight, microturbines are attractive choice. In this paper, by using an energy–economic analysis the type and number of the required microturbines for the specific electricity and heat load curves during a year were selected. For performing this task an objective function annual profit (AP) was introduced and maximized. The operation strategy and the payback period of the chosen system was also determined in this study.     

关于"节能产品政府采购清单"公示的通知

根据《国务院办公厅关于建立政府强制采购节能产品制度的通知》(国办发〔2007〕51号)规定,中华人民共和国财政部、国家发展和改革委员会对"节能产品政府采购清单"(以下简称"节能清单")进行了调整,并将空调机、双端荧光灯和自镇流荧光灯、电视机、电热     

光伏发电在我国电力能源结构中的战略地位和未来发展方向

前 言 在可再生能源的家族中，资源量最大、分布最普遍的是太阳能，事实上，其它可再生能源也间接来自于太阳能。全球权威能源机构预测，到本世纪中期太阳能将成为人类能源构成中的重要组成部分，而到本世纪末太阳能将成为人类能源构成中的主要部分。我国陆地表面每年接受太阳辐射能相当于约49000亿tce（标准煤），全国三分之二的国土面积年日照在2200小时以上，年太阳辐射量超过5000焦／米^2（相当于170千克标准煤／米^2），太阳能资源丰富，是中华民族赖以生存，永续繁衍的最宝贵的资源。     

Retail competition in electricity markets

The introduction of competition into retail electricity supply gave rise to great expectations. However, to date, its performance has proven less than stellar, owing primarily to the theoretical concepts underpinning this reform, which draw heavily on the Austrian school. Neither consumers’ decision processes nor this sector's technical paradigm were adequately accounted for, leading to an uncorrect estimation of the expected impact of opening to competition. Short- and medium-term prospects for the evolution of retail markets must be reconsidered from the perspective of greater stability: not a generalization of competition, but rather a persistent segmentation between active and inactive clients; not a large and rapid diffusion of radical innovations in commercialisation, with the potential for undermining the incumbents’ positions.     

Wind power and market power in competitive markets

Average market prices for intermittent generation technologies are lower than for conventional generation. This has a technical reason but can be exaggerated in the presence of market power. When there is much wind smaller amounts of conventional generation technologies are required, and prices are lower, while at times of little wind prices are higher. This effect reflects the value of different generation technologies to the system. But under conditions of market power, conventional generators with market power can further depress the prices if they have to buy back energy at times of large wind output and can increase prices if they have to sell additional power at times of little wind output. This greatly exaggerates the effect. Forward contracting does not reduce the effect. An important consequence is that allowing market power profit margins as a support mechanism for generation capacity investment is not a technologically neutral policy.     

Wind and the US power crisis : Experiences of a wind power developer in the USA

The year 2000 saw the pace of growth for the US wind industry lapse following the hectic ventures of the 1999 wind rush. The US recorded little net growth. Of course, contracts were being signed for new projects to be built in 2001 but the year was generally one of consolidation and orientation before the next expected gauntlet of production tax credits (PTCs) were laid down. Then, the reintroduction of the PTCs, the mechanism of federal support, was far from certain. Gavin McAlpine, Renewable Energy Systems Ltd, UK describes the experiences and perspectives of a wind power developer in the USA.     

Pathways to power: Policy transitions and the reappearance of the nuclear power option in Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan, a Canadian prairie province, has recently begun to restructure the provincial energy system. The institutional, technological and social bases of the Saskatchewan power regime have been disrupted by both exogenous pressures and endogenous problems, providing an opportunity for alternative energy options to be considered as possible power alternatives. As the province addresses the long-term socio-technical transition (STR) associated with a regime change in the power sector a number of alternative energy options have been identified. Using a transition management approach, this paper argues that the path taken will depend very much on whether these alternatives can be adopted as modifications of the existing STR – leaving the key actors, institutions and relationships essentially untouched – or whether they will necessitate a wholesale reconstruction of the regime itself. In this paper we analyze how, over time, the socio-technical configurations of the energy system became very durable as existing technologies become embedded in regulatory frameworks, infrastructure, users practices and expert communities. We then consider the potential of several alternative technological trajectories and the likelihood of one of these socio technical regimes emerging in Saskatchewan.     

Liberalization of the indian power industry: Wind power in Gujarat

Since liberalization of the Indian power sector in 1991, private participation in wind power production has been encouraged in Gujarat through a range of capital investment subsidies. Despite encouraging a significant level of investment within wind power, the technologies have not become more cost-effective. However capabilities within the activities of manufacturing, operating, maintaining and planning of windfarms are now relatively well established. The introduction of incentive mechanisms that explicitly encourage generation output are likely to encourage the costs of wind power to become more competitive with conventional power.     

风电系统的无功功率与电网电压稳定

论述了风电容量在占局部电网相当比例时,风电机组的无功功率调整与电网电压之间的关系,对于定速和变速风电机组的运行特性做了分析,提出了在需要做无功功率调整时风电机组应能满足的特殊要求。     

Impact of wind power on the power system imbalances in Finland

A study on the imbalance costs or payments that wind power producers pay on the one hand and the cost incurred for the power system on the other hand is presented. Both the producer side and the system side will be examined with case data on prediction errors, system net imbalances and the balancing costs. The upscaled forecast errors of wind power that result in imbalances have been combined with the system real net imbalance. Comparisons and discussion about the balancing costs of wind power depending on the wind penetration are provided. The results for Finland show that a two-price system for imbalances results in higher imbalance costs than a one-price system. At low wind power penetration levels, the difference in imbalance payments is high for one- and two-price system. When wind penetration increases, there is not so much difference in the different balance settlement rules used. According to the comparison between imbalance payments and system costs, the increase in system costs because of wind power is lower than imbalance payments for wind power producers when using either average prices for up- and down-regulation or the regulation prices that increase linearly with regulation demand.     

天然气在空调行业与其它能源竞争的探讨

对“西气东输”的天然气到达上海之后,天然气在空调行业中与其它能源的竞争作了分析探讨。提出一种用用经济系数来评价用能系统的热经济性的方法,并用此方法对上海某一办公楼空调系统的四种方案进行了比较分析,探讨了天然气空调的热经济性及其与其它空调的竞争,并说明其优越性。火     

Potential role of power authorities in offshore wind power development in the US

This article examines how power authorities could facilitate and manage offshore wind power development in US coastal waters. The power authority structure is an American 20th century institution for managing energy resources—a form of a public authority or public corporation dedicated to creating, operating and maintaining electric generation and transmission infrastructure. Offshore wind power is characterized by high capital costs but no fuel costs and thus low operating costs. Therefore a power authority, by virtue of its access to low-cost capital and managerial flexibility, could facilitate offshore wind power development by reducing financial risk of developing and lowering debt payments, thus improving the risk profile and lowering the cost of electricity production. Additionally, power authorities can be made up of multiple states, thus opening the possibility for joint action by neighboring coastal states. Using primary and secondary data, we undertake an in-depth analysis of the potential benefits and shortcomings of a power authority approach.