Marginal cost and congestion in the Italian electricity market: An indirect estimation approach

In this paper we construct an indirect measure of the supply marginal cost function for the main generators from the observed bid data in the Italian electricity market in the period 2004–2007. We compute the residual demand function for each generator, taking explicitly into account the issue of transmission line congestion. This procedure allows recovering correct zonal Lerner index and the implied measure of the marginal cost function. We find evidence of a stable U-shaped marginal cost function for three main Italian generators, but a flat function for ENEL, the former national monopolist. The policy relevance of our approach lies in the possibility to offer some empirical knowledge of the marginal cost function of each generator to the regulator to design appropriate policy measures geared to the promotion of competitive market conditions. We propose a new market surveillance mechanism, which is based on the principle of sanctioning excessive deviations from the estimated measure of the marginal cost function presented in this work.     

Restoration of small lakes through cooperative management: A suitable strategy for poverty‐laden areas in developing countries?

Lake Rupa is a small, subtropical, shallow lake with a surface area of 100 ha situated 600 m a.s.l. in Central Himalaya, Nepal. This degraded lake was studied between 2000 and 2006, with the goal of determining whether or not it could be restored by a community‐based cooperative of local people living in its catchment. Main threats to the lake, its aquatic life and its very existence include encroachment by excessive aquatic vegetation, sedimentation, and low in‐lake concentrations of dissolved oxygen (DO). Small lakes (≤ 500 ha) are relatively prone to the process of ‘succession and climax’, although they also can be of social, environmental and ecological importance. Thus, their disappearance could spark social chaos and disorder in areas already having to cope with other rapid environmental changes. This means that credible mechanisms for revitalizing or protecting small lakes are an important goal. Accordingly, a lake cooperative of 329 households living in close vicinity to Lake Rupa was formed in 2002, by prioritizing traditional fishers, women and other deprived community members with the goals of respecting the citizenry and equity. Following the cooperative's campaigns directed at weed removal and fish stocking, encroachment of vegetation on the lake margins was halted, its aquatic weeds became under control, and its fisheries improved. In addition to the cooperative's restoration activities, several water quality parameters, including water transparency and DO and chlorophyll‐a concentrations, were monitored on a monthly basis. The measured water transparency was inconsistent, exhibiting large variations between 2000 and 2003. Relatively low, but consistent, values, however, were measured after 2004. The results imply that the removal of weeds, and sufficient nutrients and solar radiation are subsequently available to the lake's phytoplankton communities. Supporting this notion is that the chlorophyll‐a concentration spiked to 205 µg L⁻¹ in November 2006, the water transparency became consistent, and the DO concentration increased to >3.8 mg L⁻¹ during the critical months (March–May) after 2004. These water quality indicators indicated improvement in the degraded Lake Rupa, suggesting that the establishment of cooperatives such as that highlighted in this study could be a powerful and sustainable mechanism for restoring degraded lakes in similar socioeconomic settings by maintaining equity, by connecting communities with their resources, and by facilitating integrity, equity, citizenry and social justice.     

The Influence of Immigration on Global City Housing Markets: The Canadian Perspective

Current demographic trends in Canada include population aging and declining household growth. These trends generally result in falling housing demand and stable or declining house prices. Housing markets in Canada's major cities, however, have been characterized by increases in demand and prices in recent years; due in large part to the influence of arriving immigrants. The destinations of 76 percent of international immigrants to Canada are the three global cities—Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal—where they have a very significant effect on housing demand, particularly as under current immigration policy many of those arriving come with considerable wealth. Their influence, however, is much broader and includes the growth of exclusive, prosperous immigrant neighbourhoods, new architectural designs and other neighbourhood changes. Not all immigrants, however, arrive with wealth. Many are poor, live in less attractive neighbourhoods and pay unrealistic amounts of their inadequate incomes for poor quality housing. Some end up homeless on the street. The role of immigrants in housing markets is an important consideration for urban and housing policy.     

社会比较对薪酬不公平感的心理作用机制

运用社会比较理论,分析了在组织内部影响薪酬不公平感的社会比较类型与评判内容;利用对比效应与同化效应,解释了薪酬不公平感的形成。在此基础上,探讨了人力资源管理中减少或克服人际攀比带来不良影响的途径。     

战略性新兴产业创新空间格局及影响因素研究——以湖南省为例

应用ArcGIS软件,选取2010年、2016年两个时间节点,用空间核密度、空间自相关、地理探测器等方法,分析了湖南省战略性新兴产业技术创新的空间分布与集聚特征,结果表明:湖南省战略性新兴产业创新活动整体呈现"东北多,西南少"的分布态势,空间集聚分布特征明显,长株潭城市群为空间热点与核心区域;专利数量空间核密度分布存在明显的"区域差异",具体表现为大面积的块状分布和小面积的零星核分布并存;湖南省战略性新兴产业创新空间分布主要受科学研究和技术服务业单位数、人均GDP、固定资产投资、农业机械总动力、消费品零售总额、卫生技术人员数等因素的影响。     

Local distributions of electricity demand

A simple model for how electricity use might be distributed over space is developed and solved. The model depends on a simple characterization of “heat islands”, and considers summer cooling use in particular. Various technological changes to allow for electric grid use of renewable energy and other technologies, such as energy efficiency and hydrogen or electric vehicles, change the outcome of this model, and produce a “saddle”, not necessarily a “duck curve”. Inequality in income and wealth drives these results, and policies to ameliorate or remove these effects will have to be and be seen as fair to those of various income levels and locations.     

Evaluation of two alternative carbon capture and storage technologies: A stochastic model

In this paper we evaluate two alternative CCS technologies at a coal-fired power plant from an investor's point of view. The first technology uses CO₂ for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) paired with storage in deep saline formations (DSF) and the second merely stores CO₂ in DSF. The paper updates and improves on an earlier publication by Tzimas et al. (2005). For projects of this type there are many sources of risk, three of which stand out: the price of electricity, the price of oil and the price of carbon allowances. In this paper we develop a general stochastic model that can be adapted to other projects such as enhanced gas recovery (EGR) or industrial plants that use CO₂ for either EOR or EGR with CCS. The model is calibrated with UK data and applied to help understand the conditions that generate the incentives needed for early investments in these technologies. Additionally, we analyse the risks of these investments. Investments with EOR and secondary DSF storage can only be profitable (NPV > 0) when there is a high long-term equilibrium price for oil of more than $56.38/barrel. When the investment decision can be made at any time, i.e. there is an option value, then the trigger value for optimal investment is significantly higher.     

技术创新战略联盟支撑战略性新兴产业发展的机制研究

发展战略性新兴产业已经成为了世界主要国家抢占新一轮经济和科技发展制高点的重大战略。构建和发展产业技术创新战略联盟,是实现技术创新、支撑战略性新兴产业发展的有效途径。阐述了产业技术创新战略联盟的内涵,探讨了其体制机制,分析了它在发展过程中存在的问题,并提出了相关的应对策略。这为构建新型产业技术创新战略联盟,促进战略性新兴产业发展提供了理论基础,进而为政府制订相关政策提供了决策参考。     

Editor’s note

正Because modern communication networks are expected to deliver increasingly high data rates at a decreasing cost per bit,the spectral efficiency of communication systems must be further improved to facilitate emerging ubiquitous services.Furthermore,because future communication networks will comprise a large     

新工科背景下的C语言程序设计模块化教学改革探讨

为了提高C语言程序设计课程中学生的实践动手能力和创新能力,根据教育部新工科建设的理念和要求,探索模块化教学在C语言程序设计理论教学、实践教学和考核管理中的应用。以学生为中心制定任务驱动的理论教学模块、层次化实践教学模块和综合考核管理模块,激发学生对C语言程序设计课程的学习兴趣以及提高学生的自主创新和实践能力,进而弥补传统教学的弊端,提高C语言课程的教学效果。