IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v184y2024ics0301421523004913.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impact of real-time pricing and residential load automation on distribution systems

Author

Listed:
  • Arlt, Marie-Louise
  • Chassin, David
  • Rivetta, Claudio
  • Sweeney, James

Abstract

Price-responsive electricity consumption can facilitate the efficient operations of power systems. In this paper, we study the impact of real-time pricing (RTP) and the automation of a major residential load – Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems – on residential distribution systems. First, we deploy a simulation-based case study of 437 houses in Austin, Texas, which we calibrate based on real-world data. Second, we study the implications of switching from a fixed retail rate to RTP. We estimate aggregate welfare gains of 39 USD per customer and year. All customers contribute to the welfare gain, but not equally. Moreover, all customers benefit and benefits are higher for customers with electric heating, lower comfort preference, and lower thermal insulation. However, RTP and load automation can critically increase peak system load by more than 30%. Third, we study the introduction of a market-based demand management system under which the local RTP increases if congestion is present. In this case, for reasonable specifications, another 12% of welfare gains can be realized during operations. Moreover, optimal grid investment can be reduced. Our work informs policy makers by illustrating under which conditions load automation under RTP can be particularly beneficial.

Suggested Citation

  • Arlt, Marie-Louise & Chassin, David & Rivetta, Claudio & Sweeney, James, 2024. "Impact of real-time pricing and residential load automation on distribution systems," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:184:y:2024:i:c:s0301421523004913
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113906
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421523004913
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113906?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Severin Borenstein, 2007. "Customer Risk from Real-Time Retail Electricity Pricing: Bill Volatility and Hedgability," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 2), pages 111-130.
    2. Paul Joskow & Jean Tirole, 2005. "Merchant Transmission Investment," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(2), pages 233-264, June.
    3. Yael Parag & Benjamin K. Sovacool, 2016. "Electricity market design for the prosumer era," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 1(4), pages 1-6, April.
    4. Ableitner, Liliane & Tiefenbeck, Verena & Meeuw, Arne & Wörner, Anselma & Fleisch, Elgar & Wortmann, Felix, 2020. "User behavior in a real-world peer-to-peer electricity market," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    5. Severin Borenstein & Stephen Holland, 2005. "On the Efficiency of Competitive Electricity Markets with Time-Invariant Retail Prices," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 36(3), pages 469-493, Autumn.
    6. Natalia Fabra & David Rapson & Mar Reguant & Jingyuan Wang, 2021. "Estimating the Elasticity to Real-Time Pricing: Evidence from the Spanish Electricity Market," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 111, pages 425-429, May.
    7. Furszyfer Del Rio, Dylan D. & Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Bergman, Noam & Makuch, Karen E., 2020. "Critically reviewing smart home technology applications and business models in Europe," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    8. Severin Borenstein, 2005. "The Long-Run Efficiency of Real-Time Electricity Pricing," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 3), pages 93-116.
    9. A. Gürhan Kök & Kevin Shang & Şafak Yücel, 2020. "Investments in Renewable and Conventional Energy: The Role of Operational Flexibility," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 22(5), pages 925-941, September.
    10. Schneider, Ian & Sunstein, Cass R., 2017. "Behavioral considerations for effective time-varying electricity prices," Behavioural Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 1(2), pages 219-251, November.
    11. Song, Zhaofang & Shi, Jing & Li, Shujian & Chen, Zexu & Jiao, Fengshun & Yang, Wangwang & Zhang, Zitong, 2022. "Data-driven and physical model-based evaluation method for the achievable demand response potential of residential consumers' air conditioning loads," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 307(C).
    12. Feuerriegel, Stefan & Bodenbenner, Philipp & Neumann, Dirk, 2016. "Value and granularity of ICT and smart meter data in demand response systems," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 1-10.
    13. Bryan K. Bollinger & Wesley R. Hartmann, 2020. "Information vs. Automation and Implications for Dynamic Pricing," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(1), pages 290-314, January.
    14. Stephen Comello & Stefan Reichelstein, 2019. "The emergence of cost effective battery storage," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-9, December.
    15. Ahmad Faruqui & Sanem Sergici, 2010. "Household response to dynamic pricing of electricity: a survey of 15 experiments," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 38(2), pages 193-225, October.
    16. A. Gürhan Kök & Kevin Shang & Şafak Yücel, 2018. "Impact of Electricity Pricing Policies on Renewable Energy Investments and Carbon Emissions," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(1), pages 131-148, January.
    17. Jesse Burkhardt & Kenneth Gillingham & Praveen K. Kopalle, 2019. "Experimental Evidence on the Effect of Information and Pricing on Residential Electricity Consumption," NBER Working Papers 25576, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Fabra, Natalia, 2021. "The energy transition: An industrial economics perspective," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    2. Freier, Julia & von Loessl, Victor, 2022. "Dynamic electricity tariffs: Designing reasonable pricing schemes for private households," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    3. Pretto, Madeline, 2021. "Tail-risk Comprehension and Protection in Real-time Electricity Pricing : Experimental Evidence," Warwick-Monash Economics Student Papers 25, Warwick Monash Economics Student Papers.
    4. Paul L. Joskow, 2012. "Creating a Smarter U.S. Electricity Grid," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 26(1), pages 29-48, Winter.
    5. Enrich, Jacint & Li, Ruoyi & Mizrahi, Alejandro & Reguant, Mar, 2024. "Measuring the impact of time-of-use pricing on electricity consumption: Evidence from Spain," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    6. Jacobsen, Grant D. & Stewart, James I., 2022. "How do consumers respond to price complexity? Experimental evidence from the power sector," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    7. Mattias Vesterberg and Chandra Kiran B. Krishnamurthy, 2016. "Residential End-use Electricity Demand: Implications for Real Time Pricing in Sweden," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 4).
    8. Sai Bravo & Carole Haritchabalet, 2023. "Prosumers: Grid Storage vs Small Fuel-Cell," Working papers of Transitions Energétiques et Environnementales (TREE) hal-04119625, HAL.
    9. Katrina Jessoe & David Rapson, 2014. "Knowledge Is (Less) Power: Experimental Evidence from Residential Energy Use," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(4), pages 1417-1438, April.
    10. Katz, Jonas & Andersen, Frits Møller & Morthorst, Poul Erik, 2016. "Load-shift incentives for household demand response: Evaluation of hourly dynamic pricing and rebate schemes in a wind-based electricity system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(P3), pages 1602-1616.
    11. Sioshansi, Ramteen, 2016. "Retail electricity tariff and mechanism design to incentivize distributed renewable generation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 498-508.
    12. Lu-Miao Li, Peng Zhou, and Wen Wen, 2023. "Distributed Renewable Energy Investment: The Effect of Time-of-Use Pricing," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 5).
    13. S. Borenstein, 2013. "Effective and Equitable Adoption of Opt-In Residential Dynamic Electricity Pricing," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 42(2), pages 127-160, March.
    14. Cédric Clastres & Haikel Khalfallah, 2020. "Retailers' strategies facing demand response and markets interactions," Working Papers hal-03167543, HAL.
    15. Allcott, Hunt, 2011. "Rethinking real-time electricity pricing," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 820-842.
    16. Blonz, Joshua & Palmer, Karen & Wichman, Casey & Wietelman, Derek C., 2021. "Smart Thermostats, Automation, and Time-Varying Prices," RFF Working Paper Series 21-20, Resources for the Future.
    17. Spiller, Elisheba & Esparza, Ricardo & Mohlin, Kristina & Tapia-Ahumada, Karen & Ünel, Burçin, 2023. "The role of electricity tariff design in distributed energy resource deployment," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    18. Kopsakangas Savolainen, Maria & Svento, Rauli, 2012. "Real-Time Pricing in the Nordic Power markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 1131-1142.
    19. Ramteen Sioshansi, . "Retail Electricity Tariff and Mechanism Design to Incentivise Distributed Generation," Chapters, in: Shigeru Kimura & Youngho Chang & Yanfei Li (ed.), Financing Renewable Energy Development in East Asia Summit Countries A Primer of Effective Policy Instruments, chapter 9, pages 267-296, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    20. Clastres, Cédric & Khalfallah, Haikel, 2021. "Dynamic pricing efficiency with strategic retailers and consumers: An analytical analysis of short-term market interactions," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:184:y:2024:i:c:s0301421523004913. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.