After the Fukushima nuclear crisis following the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, it is not correct to say that Japan decided to change energy policy dramatically from a fuel mix heavily reliant on nuclear power to one involving growing use of renewable power. Nor is it correct to say that Japan intends…
Special Theme on Japanese Energy Policy after Fukushima
Market Power and Generation from Renewables: the Case of Wind in the South Australian Electricity Market
This paper examines whether outcomes in the electricity market in South Australia are consistent with theoretical analysis and market modelling that concluded that intermittent generation benefits less from market power than conventional generation. The paper finds that, based on actual outcomes in South Australia over the period from 2006 to 2011, the exercise of market…
Distributional Effects of Energy Transition: Impacts of Renewable Electricity Support in Germany
The discussion of the support for renewable energy must consider the distributional impact of cost allocation. The public is sensitive to social imbalances caused by rising power prices that might jeopardize the acceptance of energy transformation. By the end of 2012 about 19 percent of German power is produced with renewables other than hydropower. As…
Energy-efficiency and Environmental Policies & Income Supplements in the UK: Evolution and Distributional Impacts on Domestic Energy Bills
The paper examines the financial costs of energy-efficiency and environmental policies that directly affect domestic electricity and gas bills in the UK over time. It also attempts to work out the current distributional impacts of these policies and others that act as income supplements thereby presenting a consistent picture across time and income deciles. Figures…
Baltic Gas Supply Security: Divided We Stand?
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, depending entirely on Russia for their gas supply, want to invest in gas supply security. The European Commission encourages them to do so by conditioning subsidies to the building of joint regional infrastructure. In the face of serious political and legal hurdles to Baltic gas security co-operation, Brussels’ approach might be…
Editorial
Impacts of Intermittent Renewables on Electricity Generation System Operation
All power generation technologies leave their particular imprint on the power system that they belong to. Wind and solar power have only recently reached significant levels of penetration in some countries, but they are expected to grow much during the next few decades, and contribute substantially to meeting future electricity demand, see e.g. European Commission…