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Electricity Interconnection with Intermittent Renewables

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  • Yang, Yuting

Abstract

Electricity interconnection has been recognized as a way to mitigate carbon emissions by dispatching more efficient electricity production and accommodating the growing share of renewables. I analyze the impact of electricity interconnection in the presence of intermittent renewables, such as wind and solar power, on renewable capacity and carbon emissions using a two-country model. I find that in the first-best, interconnection decreases investments in renewable capacity and exacerbates carbon emissions if the social cost of carbon (SCC) is low. Conversely, interconnection increases renewable capacity and reduces carbon emissions for a high SCC. Moreover, the intermittency of renewables generates an insurance gain from interconnection, which also implies that some renewable capacity is optimally curtailed in some states of nature when the SCC is high. The curtailment rate and the corresponding carbon emissions increase for more positively correlated intermittency. I calibrate the model using data from the European Union electricity market and simulate the outcome of expanding interconnection between Germany-Poland and France-Spain. I find that given the current level of SCC, the interconnection may increase carbon emissions. The net benefit of interconnection is positive, with uneven distribution across countries .

Suggested Citation

  • Yang, Yuting, 2020. "Electricity Interconnection with Intermittent Renewables," TSE Working Papers 20-1075, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
  • Handle: RePEc:tse:wpaper:124097
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    Cited by:

    1. Jean-Henry Ferrasse & Nandeeta Neerunjun & Hubert Stahn, 2021. "Managing intermittency in the electricity market," Working Papers halshs-03154612, HAL.
    2. Ambec, Stefan & Yang, Yuting, 2024. "Climate policy with electricity trade," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    3. Ambec, Stefan & Crampes, Claude, 2021. "Real-time electricity pricing to balance green energy intermittency," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    4. Antweiler, Werner & Muesgens, Felix, 2024. "The new merit order: The viability of energy-only electricity markets with only intermittent renewable energy sources and grid-scale storage," Ruhr Economic Papers 1064, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    5. Newbery, D., 2022. "Wind, water and wires: evaluating joint wind and interconnector capacity expansions in hydro-rich regions," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2212, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    6. Venizelos Venizelou & Andreas Poullikkas, 2024. "Trend Analysis of Cross-Border Electricity Trading in Pan-European Network," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-44, October.
    7. Newbery, David, 2023. "Wind, water and wires: Evaluating joint wind and interconnector capacity expansions in hydro-rich regions," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    8. Javier L'opez Prol & Karl W. Steininger & Keith Williges & Wolf D. Grossmann & Iris Grossmann, 2022. "Potential gains of long-distance trade in electricity," Papers 2205.01436, arXiv.org.
    9. López Prol, Javier & Steininger, Karl W. & Williges, Keith & Grossmann, Wolf D. & Grossmann, Iris, 2023. "Potential gains of long-distance trade in electricity," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    10. Ferrasse, Jean-Henry & Neerunjun, Nandeeta & Stahn, Hubert, 2022. "Intermittency and electricity retailing: An incomplete market approach," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 24-36.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
    • F18 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Environment
    • F61 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Microeconomic Impacts
    • Q27 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Issues in International Trade
    • Q48 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Government Policy
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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