602 research outputs found
Essays on the Italian electricity market
No full textThe thesis is a collection of three empirical essays focussing on the Italian electricity market. The first chapter, titled “Assessing market power in the Italian electricity market: a synthetic supply approach”, is a joint work with Prof. Luigi Grossi and Prof. Michael. G. Pollitt and was published among the Energy Policy Research Group Working Papers (no. 1930). This chapter investigates the bidding behaviour of the leading firms in the Italian electricity market, in particular on the Italian day-ahead market. The methodology adopted is synthetic supply, proposed by Ciarreta et al (2010), which consists in a two-step procedure, i.e. 1) power plants association and 2) hourly bidding schedule “translation”. Thanks to synthetic supply it is possible to create hourly counterfactual supply curves and see if there are differences between actual and synthetic equilibria. In other words, the idea is to investigate the difference in mark-up between the bidding schedules of power plants with very similar features. For this reason, power plants were associated with very strict criteria: technology, energy efficiency and many others. Furthermore, an algorithm in R was developed to compute hourly equilibria in the day-ahead market. This way, it is possible to assess if there are any differences between the bidding behaviour of the leading operators and the bidding behaviour of smaller generators. The findings suggest that during the years under examination (2015-2018), the market underwent higher prices and a non-negligible consumer surplus loss, especially during the months when above average heating and cooling were required. The second chapter, titled “Detecting strategic capacity withholding through a synthetic supply approach - Cui Prodest?”, puts forward a new methodology in the field of market monitoring. The methodology of synthetic supply and the R code are employed. However, the way synthetic supply is used in this chapter is completely new. A four-step procedure is proposed to investigate strategic capacity withholding, i.e. 1) hourly supply curves are created and extra capacity is artificially added to the supply schedule, 2) synthetic and actual prices are compared and anomalous price spikes detected, 3) synthetic and actual revenues are compared, to see if any market operator could have obtained more revenues from a scenario where some capacity was withheld, 4) the SSCW index is proposed to better interpret the results. The chapter carries out an empirical analysis of the Italian day-ahead market in 2018. This approach is a significant contribution to the literature because it enables the analysis of manipulative behaviour with a different perspective compared to the methodology currently available. The third chapter, titled “Covid-19 and the Italian electricity market: impacts, developments and implications”, investigates the effects of the restrictive measures employed by the Italian Government in response to Covid-19 on the Italian electricity market. This chapter presents a data description of the main market variables of the electricity market and uses an econometric model to estimate the effects of geographical and production lockdowns on the zonal quantities purchased and on the PUN (nationwide unit price). Data suggests that both quantity purchased, and prices were affected by the lockdowns, especially in the bidding areas of Northern Italy. The bidding zones of Southern Italy seem to be considerably less affected by restrictive measures. This is also confirmed by the econometric model. In addition, fall in demand led to a smaller quantity purchased, compared to the corresponding weeks in previous years, leading to substantial changes in the mix of energy sources. This chapter proposes a complete description of the evolution of the electricity market during the pandemic and provides useful policy recommendations on how financial resources should be allocated to relieve the Italian economy
Electricity Distribution Networks: Investment and Regulation, and Uncertain Demand
No full textElectricity distribution networks are capital intensive systems and timely investments are crucial for long-term reliability of their service. In coming years, in the UK, and elsewhere in Europe, many networks are in need of extensive investments in their aging assets. Also, aspects of energy policy concerning climate change, renewable energy, energy
efficiency, demand side management (DSM), network energy loss reduction, quality of service standards, and security of supply require active, flexible, and smart networks that can be achieved through investments. This paper is a chapter in the forthcoming book "Jamasb T. and Pollitt, M. G. (2011) Eds., The Future of Electricity Demand: Customers, Citizens and
Loads, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge" and describes a network investment assessment model developed as a tool to identify and assess the investment requirements of distribution networks. A broadening of the scope of network investments to include demand-related measures that can reduce the need for investments
Henry the fourth, part two
No full textA dramatization of William Shakespeare's play that portrays the colorful panorama of Medieval English life, as the king broods over the uncertain future of his son. Time passes, Henry IV dies, Falstaff is banished and Prince Hal is crowned Henry V.Cast: Barry Stanton, Michael Cronin, Michael Pennington, June Watson, Clyde Pollitt ; the English Shakespeare Company. Cameraman, Simon Fone ; editor, Brian McCue ; music, Terry Mortimer.Recorded live at the Grand Theatre, Swansea
Explaining contextual influences on the dynamics of public management reforms: reflections on some ways forward
No full textAs summed up by Christopher Pollitt in a co-authored paper based on a wide analysis of both academic and grey literature on the impact of (new public management [NPM]-type) public management reforms in Europe, the development of scholarly knowledge about the understanding of contextual influences on the dynamics of public management reforms has led to the recognition that certain ‘factors’, properly positioned along time and scale dimensions, exert an influence in a certain direction (facilitate vs. prevent) on certain contents of public management reform (Pollitt and Dan, 2011, pp. 35–47). This state of the art leaves the question ‘how can we then move forward and better qualify causal patterns?’ yet to be fully addressed, as it does for related questions such as ‘how can we bridge the stream of research on public management reform trajectories in different countries2 (which is by definition at a ‘macro’ level of analysis3) with strands of research in public management which aim at comprehending causes and effects in public management by uncovering what happens at more ‘micro’ a level (for example, the stream of research on Public Service Motivation [PSM] – see Perry and Hondeghem, 2008 and Vandenabeele and Hondeghem, 2008 – focused on the motivational structure of individuals working for the public sector)?’
Electricity Market Liberalisation and Integration in the European Union
No full textElektrizitätswirtschaft, Stromnetz, Reform, Deregulierung, Europäische Integration, EU-Staaten, Electric utility industry, Electricity grid, Reform, Deregulation, European integration, EU countries
Moderation in all things: International comparisons of governance quality
No full textsponsorship: The author is from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. At various points the author has drawn on material from two projects he has been involved in over the past few years: EUROPAIR (2000-2004), which looked at performance management in executive agencies in four European countries, and CADS (2006-2008), which examined the development trajectories of performance measurement systems in healthcare in the Netherlands and the UK. Both projects were team efforts and both were supported by grants from the UK Economic and Social Research Council. For details of EUROPAIR, see Pollitt (2006b). For details of CADS, see Pollitt et al. (2010). The author is also grateful to a number of colleagues for comments on earlier drafts of this paper, including Frank Bannister, Colin Talbot, Wouter van Dooren, Steven van Roosbroek and Steven van de Walle. (UK Economic and Social Research Council)status: Publishe
Women in politics
No full textFarai Chideya, commentator, NPR, and author, The Color of our Future: Race in the 21st Century and Katha Pollitt, Columnist, The Nation and author, Learning to Drive and Other Life Stories on the impact of race and gender on the 2008 election
Women in politics
No full textFarai Chideya, commentator, NPR, and author, The Color of our Future: Race in the 21st Century and Katha Pollitt, Columnist, The Nation and author, Learning to Drive and Other Life Stories on the impact of race and gender on the 2008 election
Demand-side management strategies and the residential sector: lessons from the international experience
No full text- …
