IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/fem/femwpa/2004.120.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The Question of Generation Adequacy in Liberalised Electricity Markets

Author

Listed:
  • L.J. de Vries

    (Delft University of Technology)

  • R.A. Hakvoort

    (Delft University of Technology)

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of the reasons why unregulated markets for the production of electricity cannot be expected to invest sufficiently in generation capacity on a continuous basis. Although it can be shown that periodic price spikes should provide generation companies with sufficient investment incentives in theory, there are a number of probable causes of market failure. A likely result is the development of investment cycles that may affect the adequacy of capacity. The experience in California shows the great social costs associated with an episode of scarce generation capacity. Another disadvantage is that generation companies can manipulate price spikes. This would result in large transfers of income from consumers to producers and reduce the operational reliability of electricity supply during these price spikes. We end this paper by outlining several methods that have been proposed to stabilise the market, which provide better incentives to generation companies and consumers alike.

Suggested Citation

  • L.J. de Vries & R.A. Hakvoort, 2004. "The Question of Generation Adequacy in Liberalised Electricity Markets," Working Papers 2004.120, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    • Handle: RePEc:fem:femwpa:2004.120
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://feem-media.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/NDL2004-120.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Willis, K. G. & Garrod, G. D., 1997. "Electricity supply reliability : Estimating the value of lost load," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 97-103, January.
    2. Hirst, Eric & Hadley, Stan, 1999. "Generation Adequacy: Who Decides?," The Electricity Journal, Elsevier, vol. 12(8), pages 11-21, October.
    3. Shuttleworth, Graham, 1997. "Getting markets to clear," The Electricity Journal, Elsevier, vol. 10(3), pages 2-2, April.
    4. Ford, Andrew, 1999. "Cycles in competitive electricity markets: a simulation study of the western United States," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 27(11), pages 637-658, October.
    5. Newbery, D., 2002. "Regulatory Challenges to European Electricity Liberalisation," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0230, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    6. Besser, Janet Gail & Farr, John G. & Tierney, Susan F., 2002. "The Political Economy of Long-Term Generation Adequacy: Why an ICAP Mechanism is Needed as Part of Standard Market Design," The Electricity Journal, Elsevier, vol. 15(7), pages 53-62.
    7. Hirst, Eric, 2000. "Do We Need More Transmission Capacity?," The Electricity Journal, Elsevier, vol. 13(9), pages 78-89, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Bhagwat, Pradyumna C. & Iychettira, Kaveri K. & Richstein, Jörn C. & Chappin, Emile J.L. & De Vries, Laurens J., 2017. "The effectiveness of capacity markets in the presence of a high portfolio share of renewable energy sources," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 76-91.
    2. Traber, Thure, 2017. "Capacity Remuneration Mechanisms for Reliability in the Integrated European Electricity Market: Effects on Welfare and Distribution through 2023," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 1-14.
    3. Arango, Santiago & Castañeda, Jaime A. & Larsen, Erik R., 2013. "Mothballing in power markets: An experimental study," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 125-134.
    4. François Coppens & David Vivet, 2006. "The single European electricity market: A long road to convergence," Working Paper Document 84, National Bank of Belgium.
    5. repec:bla:opecrv:v:32:y:2008:i:2:p:150-183 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Inna Čábelková & Wadim Strielkowski & Irina Firsova & Marina Korovushkina, 2020. "Public Acceptance of Renewable Energy Sources: a Case Study from the Czech Republic," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-15, April.
    7. Meade, Richard, 2005. "Electricity Investment and Security of Supply in Liberalized Electricity Systems," Working Paper Series 3859, Victoria University of Wellington, The New Zealand Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation.
    8. Ciarreta, Aitor & Pizarro-Irizar, Cristina & Zarraga, Ainhoa, 2020. "Renewable energy regulation and structural breaks: An empirical analysis of Spanish electricity price volatility," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    9. Bhagwat, Pradyumna C. & Iychettira, Kaveri K. & Richstein, Jörn C. & Chappin, Emile J.L. & Vries, Laurens J. De, 2017. "The effectiveness of capacity markets in the presence of a high portfolio share of renewable energy sources," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 48, pages 76-91.
    10. Simshauser, Paul, 2010. "Vertical integration, credit ratings and retail price settings in energy-only markets: Navigating the Resource Adequacy problem," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(11), pages 7427-7441, November.
    11. Khan, Agha Salman M. & Verzijlbergh, Remco A. & Sakinci, Ozgur Can & De Vries, Laurens J., 2018. "How do demand response and electrical energy storage affect (the need for) a capacity market?," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 214(C), pages 39-62.
    12. Milstein, Irena & Tishler, Asher, 2019. "On the effects of capacity payments in competitive electricity markets: Capacity adequacy, price cap, and reliability," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 370-385.
    13. Arango, Santiago & Larsen, Erik, 2011. "Cycles in deregulated electricity markets: Empirical evidence from two decades," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 2457-2466, May.
    14. repec:vuw:vuwscr:18954 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Meade, Richard, 2005. "Electricity Investment and Security of Supply in Liberalized Electricity Systems," Working Paper Series 18954, Victoria University of Wellington, The New Zealand Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation.
    16. Thure Traber, 2014. "Capacity Mechanisms on Central European Electricity Markets: Effects on Consumers, Producers and Technologies until 2033," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1385, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    17. Bublitz, Andreas & Keles, Dogan & Zimmermann, Florian & Fraunholz, Christoph & Fichtner, Wolf, 2018. "A survey on electricity market design: Insights from theory and real-world implementations of capacity remuneration mechanisms," Working Paper Series in Production and Energy 27, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Industrial Production (IIP).
    18. Bublitz, Andreas & Keles, Dogan & Zimmermann, Florian & Fraunholz, Christoph & Fichtner, Wolf, 2019. "A survey on electricity market design: Insights from theory and real-world implementations of capacity remuneration mechanisms," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1059-1078.

    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. Neuhoff, Karsten & De Vries, Laurens, 2004. "Insufficient incentives for investment in electricity generations," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 12(4), pages 253-267, December.
    2. Fabien Roques & David M. Newbery & William J. Nuttall, 2004. "Generation Adequacy and Investment Incentives in Britain: from the Pool to NETA," Working Papers EP58, Energy Policy Research Group, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
    3. Bublitz, Andreas & Keles, Dogan & Zimmermann, Florian & Fraunholz, Christoph & Fichtner, Wolf, 2018. "A survey on electricity market design: Insights from theory and real-world implementations of capacity remuneration mechanisms," Working Paper Series in Production and Energy 27, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Industrial Production (IIP).
    4. Bublitz, Andreas & Keles, Dogan & Zimmermann, Florian & Fraunholz, Christoph & Fichtner, Wolf, 2019. "A survey on electricity market design: Insights from theory and real-world implementations of capacity remuneration mechanisms," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1059-1078.
    5. Finon, Dominique, 2006. "Incentives to invest in liberalised electricity industries in the North and South. Differences in the need for suitable institutional arrangements," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 601-618, March.
    6. Keppler, Jan Horst & Quemin, Simon & Saguan, Marcelo, 2022. "Why the sustainable provision of low-carbon electricity needs hybrid markets," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    7. Cramton, Peter & Stoft, Steven, 2005. "A Capacity Market that Makes Sense," The Electricity Journal, Elsevier, vol. 18(7), pages 43-54.
    8. Aleksandr Kulikov & Pavel Ilyushin & Anton Loskutov & Konstantin Suslov & Sergey Filippov, 2022. "WSPRT Methods for Improving Power System Automation Devices in the Conditions of Distributed Generation Sources Operation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-20, November.
    9. van Ackere, Ann & Ochoa, Patricia, 2010. "Managing a hydro-energy reservoir: A policy approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(11), pages 7299-7311, November.
    10. Govorukha, Kristina & Mayer, Philip & Rübbelke, Dirk & Vögele, Stefan, 2020. "Economic disruptions in long-term energy scenarios – Implications for designing energy policy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    11. Simshauser, Paul, 2022. "Rooftop solar PV and the peak load problem in the NEM's Queensland region," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    12. Mier, Mathias, 2021. "Efficient pricing of electricity revisited," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    13. Simshauser, P., 2020. "Merchant utilities and boundaries of the firm: vertical integration in energy-only markets," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2039, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    14. Arango, Santiago & Larsen, Erik, 2011. "Cycles in deregulated electricity markets: Empirical evidence from two decades," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 2457-2466, May.
    15. Simshauser, P. & Gilmore, J., 2020. "Is the NEM broken? Policy discontinuity and the 2017-2020 investment megacycle," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2048, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    16. Gollier, Christian & Proult, David & Thais, Francoise & Walgenwitz, Gilles, 2005. "Choice of nuclear power investments under price uncertainty: Valuing modularity," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 667-685, July.
    17. Haikel Khalfallah, 2011. "A Game theoretic model for generation capacity adequacy: Comparison between investment incentive mechanisms in electricity markets," Post-Print halshs-00743195, HAL.
    18. Auping, Willem L. & Pruyt, Erik & de Jong, Sijbren & Kwakkel, Jan H., 2016. "The geopolitical impact of the shale revolution: Exploring consequences on energy prices and rentier states," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 390-399.
    19. Simshauser, Paul, 2019. "Missing money, missing policy and Resource Adequacy in Australia's National Electricity Market," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 1-1.
    20. Bielen, David & Burtraw, Dallas & Palmer, Karen & Steinberg, Daniel, 2017. "The Future of Power Markets in a Low Marginal Cost World," RFF Working Paper Series 17-26, Resources for the Future.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Generation adequacy; Liberalised electricity market;

    JEL classification:

    • Q41 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Demand and Supply; Prices
    • Q43 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Energy and the Macroeconomy

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:fem:femwpa:2004.120. 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: Alberto Prina Cerai (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/feemmit.html .

    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.