Energy Markets and Economics - syllabus - June 2024
Mgr. Petra Valíčková, Ph.D.
Annotation -
Last update: Mgr. Petra Valíčková, Ph.D. (07.05.2024)
The course will be taught as compact course in AY 23/24 over 3 days between Wednesday 5th of June and Friday 7th of June, 2024.
Registration into this compact course is open until the first day of the course.
This course covers a variety of theoretical and empirical topics related to the economics of the power sector. This includes concepts such as supply and demand for power, the structure of the industry (generation, transmission and distribution, retail supply), economic regulation of the power sector, wholesale power markets and their design (including competition issues), energy efficiency and retail supply, among other topics.
The core objective of this course is to gain a good understanding of the power sector with a focus not only on theoretical concepts but also on a more practical application of economic concepts related to power markets.
Day 1: Wednesday 5 June, 2024: (2 sessions in total): one morning session (11:00 - 12:30), one afternoon session (14:00 - 15:30);
Day 2: Thursday 6 June, 2024: (3 sessions in total): two morning sessions (9-10:30 a 11:00 - 12:30), one afternoon session (14:00 - 15:30);
Day 3: Friday 7 June, 2024: (3 sessions in total): two morning sessions (9-10:30 a 11:00 - 12:30), one afternoon session (14:00 - 15:30).
Room: 314
Last update: Mgr. Petra Valíčková, Ph.D. (07.05.2024)
The course will be taught as compact course in AY 23/24 over 3 days between Wednesday 5th of June and Friday 7th of June, 2024.
Registration into this compact course is open until the first day of the course.
This course covers a variety of theoretical and empirical topics related to the economics of the power sector. This includes concepts such as supply and demand for power, the structure of the industry (generation, transmission and distribution, retail supply), economic regulation of the power sector, wholesale power markets and their design (including competition issues), energy efficiency and retail supply, among other topics.
The core objective of this course is to gain a good understanding of the power sector with a focus not only on theoretical concepts but also on a more practical application of economic concepts related to power markets.
Day 1: Wednesday 5 June, 2024: (2 sessions in total): one morning session (11:00 - 12:30), one afternoon session (14:00 - 15:30);
Day 2: Thursday 6 June, 2024: (3 sessions in total): two morning sessions (9-10:30 and 11:00 - 12:30), one afternoon session (14:00 - 15:30);
Day 3: Friday 7 June, 2024: (3 sessions in total): two morning sessions (9-10:30 and 11:00 - 12:30), one afternoon session (14:00 - 15:30).
Room: 314
Descriptors -
Last update: Mgr. Petra Valíčková, Ph.D. (12.01.2024)
Lecture 1: Introduction to the economics of energy and power markets
The aim is to provide an overview of the power sector and how it is organised, as well as an understanding of basic technical and economic concepts related to energy supply and demand. We will cover the following topics:
The importance of energy and power to the economy;
The typical structure of the power market has evolved over time. The aim is to give an overview of the different ways in which the power sector is organised and the economics driving the choice of organisation. We will cover:
Different models for organising the power market;
Organisation of transmission and distribution network businesses;
Technical and economic characteristics of the sector and implications for organising the wholesale and retail markets;
Brief history of power sector deregulation and how this relates to power markets today;
Factors driving power sector reforms, e.g. country policy objectives etc.
Lecture 3: Need for regulation and current approaches to regulation and related concepts (cost plus or rate of return, price cap, RIIO, concept of RAB, etc.)
Why regulate – trade-off between regulation and competition
Market failures
Cost of regulation
Objectives of regulation
Achieving allocative and productive efficiency
What to regulate
How to regulate
Ex-ante vs ex-post type of regulation
Incentives (cost plus, rate of return, yardstick)
Setting allowed revenues and end consumer tariffs.
Lecture 4: Wholesale electricity trade, including energy only markets and capacity markets
Technical and economic issues that affect the organisation of wholesale trade (re-cap)
Organisation of wholesale trading, including output decisions and pricing
Power pool
Balancing group model
Real world market outcomes
Competition issues
Lecture 5: Investment decision making
Generation
Energy only markets
Energy markets with a capacity mechanism
Transmission
Investment under uncertainty
Lecture 6: Climate change, decarbonisation and EU ETS
Climate change and emissions targets
CO2 abatement costs
Social cost of CO2
Overview of policy instruments for decarbonisation
Need for intervention (market failure)
Types of intervention
EU ETS and its effect on power market outcomes
Overview of EU ETS as a cap and trade mechanism
Effect on power market operations and investment decision making
Interaction between the EU ETS and other decarbonisation policy instruments
Lecture 7: Other policy instruments for decarbonisation
Renewable energy and its potential
Why support renewable generation
Form of renewable support mechanism
Intermittency of renewable energy sources
Pricing of energy from renewable energy sources
Energy efficiency as a cost-effective way to reduce energy use and emissions
Benefits associated with energy efficiency goes beyond avoiding climate change (improving security of supply, fighting fuel poverty
Ways to improve energy efficiency and energy efficiency policies
Energy efficiency and market failures
Lecture 8: Retail supply, retail competition and pricing
Role of retail markets
Retailers and their ‘added value’ in the value chain (buying power, offering a range of complementary products – metering, real time pricing)
Experience with retail competition in the EU
How retail markets work
Competitive retail markets
Tariff structure
Load profiles
Back-up suppliers
Setting tariffs in non-competitive retail markets
Demand side response
Retail market failures
Last update: Mgr. Petra Valíčková, Ph.D. (12.01.2024)
Please switch to the english version.
Course completion requirements
Last update: Mgr. Petra Valíčková, Ph.D. (12.01.2024)
The course is designed for both undergraduate and graduate students. Nevertheless, it is necessary to have good background knowledge in microeconomics as well as quantitative skills to successfully pass this course.
The final grade is based on a written exam that will be held on Friday 21st of June (i.e., you'll have two weeks to prepare for the final exam after the lectures are finished).
Moreover, you are required to get at least 51% in your final exam in order to successfully pass the course. The course is not graded (only pass / fail). If you pass the course, you'll be accredited with 3 credits towards your studies. However, when grading the exam we will assess your overall performance and provide you with a total score achieved (anywhere between zero to 100 percent).
Literature -
Last update: Ing. Dagmar Schnellerová (11.04.2023)
There is no single textbook for this course and for this reason we try to include a lot of information in the course material discussed during the lectures. Nevertheless, there are several good books from which you can read selected chapters that link well to the topics covered in this course:
Danielle Beggs and Rajan Phakey: Power: A Practical Handbook, Denton: Globe Law and Business, 2017, ISBN: 978-1905783854, 251 pages, available in the IES library.
Barryl R. Biggar: The Economics of Electricity Markets, New Jersey: Wiley – IEEE, September 2014, ISBN: 978-1118775752, 432 pages, available in the IES library.
Sally Hunt, Making Competition Work in Electricity, New Jersey: Wiley, 2002, ISBN: 978-0-471-22098-5, available online.
Steven Stoft, Power system economics: designing markets for electricity, New Jersey: Wiley, 2002, ISBN: 978-0-471-15040-4, 496 pages (part of the book available online)
Last update: Ing. Dagmar Schnellerová (11.04.2023)
There is no single textbook for this course and for this reason we try to include a lot of information in the course material discussed during the lectures. Nevertheless, there are several good books from which you can read selected chapters that link well to the topics covered in this course:
Danielle Beggs and Rajan Phakey: Power: A Practical Handbook, Denton: Globe Law and Business, 2017, ISBN: 978-1905783854, 251 pages, available in the IES library.
Barryl R. Biggar: The Economics of Electricity Markets, New Jersey: Wiley – IEEE, September 2014, ISBN: 978-1118775752, 432 pages, available in the IES library.
Sally Hunt, Making Competition Work in Electricity, New Jersey: Wiley, 2002, ISBN: 978-0-471-22098-5, available online.
Steven Stoft, Power system economics: designing markets for electricity, New Jersey: Wiley, 2002, ISBN: 978-0-471-15040-4, 496 pages (part of the book available online)
Requirements to the exam -
Last update: Mgr. Petra Valíčková, Ph.D. (12.01.2024)
The course is designed for both undergraduate and graduate students. Nevertheless, it is necessary to have good background knowledge in microeconomics as well as quantitative skills to successfully pass this course.
The final grade is based on a written exam that will be held on Friday 21st of June (i.e., you'll have two weeks to prepare for the final exam after the lectures are finished).
Moreover, you are required to get at least 51% in your final exam in order to successfully pass the course. The course is not graded (only pass / fail). If you pass the course, you'll be accredited with 3 credits towards your studies. However, when grading the exam we will assess your overall performance and provide you with a total score achieved (anywhere between zero to 100 percent). This information will be just for you, as in the system only a pass / fail mark will be inserted.
In order to achieve at least 51% from the final exam, you'll need to have a good understanding of the 8 lectures covered in this course.
Last update: Mgr. Petra Valíčková, Ph.D. (12.01.2024)
Please switch to the english version.
Syllabus -
Last update: Mgr. Petra Valíčková, Ph.D. (10.01.2024)
Course outline:
1. Introduction to the economics of the power sector (supply and demand for power, structure of the industry – generation, transmission and distribution, retail supply); 2. Possible models for organising the power sector, technical characteristics that affect that choice and sector liberalisation; 3. Need for economic regulation and current approaches to regulation and related concepts (cost plus or rate of return, price cap vs revenue cap, RIIO, RAB, etc.); 4. Wholesale electricity trade, including energy only markets and capacity markets, and competition issues; 5. Investment decision making in generation and transmission; 6. CO2 emissions, overview of decarbonisation policy instruments, EU ETS; 7. Renewables and energy efficiency measures; and 8. Retail supply, retail competition and retail pricing (including concepts of long run and short run marginal costs, average costs and market failures related to information).
Last update: Mgr. Petra Valíčková, Ph.D. (12.01.2024)
Course outline:
1. Introduction to the economics of the power sector (supply and demand for power, structure of the industry – generation, transmission and distribution, retail supply); 2. Possible models for organising the power sector, technical characteristics that affect that choice and sector liberalisation; 3. Need for economic regulation and current approaches to regulation and related concepts (cost plus or rate of return, price cap vs revenue cap, RIIO, RAB, etc.); 4. Wholesale electricity trade, including energy only markets and capacity markets, and competition issues; 5. Investment decision making in generation and transmission; 6. CO2 emissions, overview of decarbonisation policy instruments, EU ETS; 7. Renewables and energy efficiency measures; and 8. Retail supply, retail competition and retail pricing (including concepts of long run and short run marginal costs, average costs and market failures related to information).
