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西北电力市场的最优选择:灵活调节容量市场或区域现货市场?

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近年来,西北地区可再生能源发展较快,外送电占比较高,市场主体丰富,在电力行业迅速发展的同时,电力市场改革也取得了很大的进展。然而,中国西北地区与世界上很多国家和地区一样面临着在保障供应的同时进行低碳转型的机遇和挑战。国家能源局西北监管局于2022年底发布了《西北电网灵活调节容量市场运营规则(征求意见稿)》,希望增强区域电网灵活调节能力。我们从国际经验出发,对西北电力市场提出了两点建议,并对部分实施细节展开了一些讨论。

  • 第一,形成统一的区域电力现货市场是实现《规则》中所提出目标的最佳方式。这可以从简单的设计开始并逐步进行完善。
  • 第二,容量市场存在减缓低碳转型和带来不必要系统成本的风险,如果在建立区域现货市场后最终仍会采用容量市场,我们建议以减少风险的方式来实施。

能效资源:容量市场的又一参赛者

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2023年4月,国家能源局公开征求的《关于加强新型电力系统稳定工作的指导意见(征求意见稿)》意见的通知 ,对加强电力市场管理提出了明确的要求。这其中就包括“推动建立容量市场,激励支撑调节资源建设”。在睿博能源智库(RAP)此前的研究中,我们基于美国经验对容量市场的设计原则进行了探讨,并提出“让所有的资源在一个公平的环境中竞争,包括需求侧资源,如对能效项目的投资”。

在中国,工业重点领域的能效提升长期备受瞩目,优化建筑对能源的使用,提升商业和居民用能设备的能效水平也持续得到关注。国际上,能效资源还可以通过参与容量市场加快其推广的步伐,以更清洁的方式助力达成电力可靠性目标。

在本文中,我们探讨了如何确定能效资源参与容量市场的资质衡量项目有效容量、以及利用节能效果测量和验证规程裁定实际节能量。通过合理引入能效资源作为市场主体参与竞争,可以充分发挥其优势,降低供电成本、增强系统灵活性、为推进容量市场与能效资源的共同发展提供有益的参考。

本文(精简版)首刊于《南方能源观察》(2023年8月27日)

Decompression: Policy and regulatory options to manage the gas grid in a decarbonising UK

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For countries with significant proportions of gas in their heating mixes that are looking to decarbonise and reduce exposure to gas imports, there is a major question around how to deal with existing gas distribution infrastructure in an equitable way which supports consumers. Yet this question has received only limited policy focus.

This briefing considers this problem for the United Kingdom, a country which has a well-developed gas distribution network with high coverage (85% of homes) which is both privatized, fully unbundled and split into regions — and which is looking to remove direct fossil fuel use in heating by 2050 at the latest.

The UK energy regulator, Ofgem, is imminently due to embark on a price control process to regulate the gas networks from 2026 onwards and the UK government is also expected to make a decision on the potential of a role for hydrogen in heating in 2026. We hope this briefing can support policy makers and regulators working on these processes.

If decarbonisation of heating by 2050 is successful, there is a high likelihood of stranded UK gas network assets. There will also be some costs associated with the physical disconnection of buildings and decommissioning of the gas grid. Ultimately, consumers bear the responsibility for and risks of these issues. The briefing proposes three options for the British government to manage better these issues on behalf of consumers:

  1. Business-as-usual wind-down with accelerated depreciation and the potential for a decommissioning fund.
  2. Evolutionary regulation to encourage gas networks into clean heating.
  3. Nationalisation with planned wind-down.

In addition to the above, we would encourage greater consideration of the issues of decommissioning, continued capital investment and the role for local area energy planning in gas network decision making. While regulation, governance and ownership vary between countries, many of the technical and regulatory challenges in countries with major gas distribution infrastructure will be similar to the UK.

对《电力需求侧管理办法(征求意见稿)》的建议

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随着中国电力行业的迅速发展,能源需求和环境压力的双重挑战也越发受到重视。为了应对这些挑战,需求侧管理被逐渐视为新型电力系统的关键组成部分。今年5月19日,国家发展和改革委员会发布了《电力需求侧管理办法(征求意见稿)》,该文件首次增加了需求响应章节,为需求侧资源的发展提供了更广阔的空间。同时,《办法》也强调了节约用电、电能替代等管理措施的重要性,多管齐下地“推动电力系统安全降碳、提效降耗”。

我们基于对欧美电力市场的了解和对中国电力改革的持续研究,在本文中提出了对电力市场,需求响应,节能指标等多个条款细节的不成熟建议。希望以此为出发点,以更低成本实现供需平衡,提高能源利用效率,并推动低碳经济的发展。

 

Policy and regulatory tools to assist achievement of India’s low-carbon energy goals

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India is on an ambitious path

India has embarked on aggressive plans to reform its electricity sector in keeping with its nationally determined contributions (NDC) submitted to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and with its current and future energy needs. The importance accorded by the Government of India to electricity sector plans and targets reflects the place of electricity within the Indian growth story and its role in all major economic sectors.

Several reforms to meet these nationally determined contributions are underway, including a series of proposed amendments to the Electricity Act, a recent revision of the National Electricity Policy, modifications to wholesale power markets such as an expansion of security-constrained economic dispatch (SCED), enhanced renewable portfolio obligations for states, and expansion of the transmission grid to absorb more renewables. New instruments periodically drive further reforms, such as the 10-year Indian Electricity Grid Code (IEGC) and the Report of the Group on the Development of Electricity Market in India.

Power sector decision-makers are tasked with meeting national ambitions

India has many ways to meet its national goals. Decision-makers already face important choices and will have to grapple with more in the years ahead, including such questions as:

  • How can the transition to competitive wholesale markets be achieved most efficiently and equitably?
  • How will resource adequacy be secured?
  • What can be done to improve the financial health of the distribution companies while maintaining affordable service for Indian homes and businesses?

India has robust and rigorous frameworks that capture such choices, in the form of legislative processes (Parliament approvals) and the subordinate legislative processes (rules, regulations and guidelines from the Ministry of Power [MoP], the Central Electricity Authority [CEA], the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission [CERC] and state electricity regulatory commissions). Regulatory processes are principally informed by local market conditions, as is apt. Even so, examples from other jurisdictions that have undertaken similar efforts and insights from other parts of the world where similar electricity reforms have been underway could be useful touchstones for decision-makers as they implement key changes in India.

RAP’s regulatory toolkit: A compendium of practical solutions

To that end, the Regulatory Assistance Project is launching a “living toolkit” as a reference source for electricity sector policymakers, regulators and other power industry actors in India. This toolkit is a web-based repository of policy briefs, best practices and recommendations, to be updated with new content as further topics of interest or fresh priorities emerge. This page is envisioned as a knowledge hub, to be ever expanding as the needs of India’s government, industry and civil society dictate. Where relevant, we also expect this toolkit to identify and document best practices in India, i.e., those demonstrated in the Indian power sector, as a helpful resource to other global practitioners.

The toolkit’s contents draw on our own experience in India and elsewhere in the world, to identify options that might be adaptable to India’s unique circumstances and, when feasible, the contexts of individual states. The practical solutions outlined will not be prescriptive; RAP, working across North America, Europe, China and India, understands that what works in one place might not in another. This is why we have chosen to call this resource a toolkit: The best tool for a job depends on many factors, and those applying the tools are best placed to make the final choice from an array of suitable options. Some may find certain tools more effective than others.

Which “tools” are in the toolkit?

RAP will populate this page with practical and succinct documents in which we will describe and interpret international experience on a range of topics identified through conversations with Indian public sector stakeholders. The full documents are available for download by clicking on their title.

  • Resource adequacy[click to read more]: In the fall of 2022, the CEA issued Draft Guidelines for Resource Adequacy Planning. Putting in place sensible, enforceable resource adequacy requirements is, as the CEA notes, a necessary element of a power system in which “demand is reliably met in future, in all time horizons.” Of particular import, observes the CEA, is that the share of variable renewable energy sources in the system is growing significantly and, consequently, “a fresh look at the manner in which distribution licensees contract for power” is needed. In this component of the toolkit, we look at resource adequacy planning in the eastern United States and draw insights that we think might have particular applicability in India.
  • Distributed energy resources (DERs) [click to read more]: The most recent Draft National Electricity Policy, 2021, issued by the Ministry of Power on 15 May, 2023, acknowledges the benefits of DERs and specifies requirements for the Forum of Regulators to implement a framework for DER aggregation in the country. Further, the newly issued Indian Electricity Grid Code references the utilisation of demand response and distributed generation resources in the context of demand estimation and resource adequacy. Deploying DERs at scale provides an opportunity to improve electric system efficiency, reduce consumer costs and reduce emissions. Drawing upon examples from the United States, this brief describes the benefits of DERs; the role of DER aggregators and private market players who can bring in capital and technical expertise; and the steps that regulators can take to facilitate DERs — including modifying distribution company business models, issuing business rules for DER aggregators and educating customers.
  • Energy efficiency [click to read more]: Over the past two decades, the Indian power sector has seen two legislated acts of Parliament — the Energy Conservation Act (2001) and the Electricity Act (2003) — paving the way for enhanced energy efficiency in end-use sectors. Complementing the two pieces of legislation, a slew of subordinate legislation in the form of notified regulations by state electricity regulatory commissions — primarily the Demand-side Management Regulations — inform and direct distribution licensees to identify end-use energy efficiency and load shifting opportunities as system resources. In this component of the toolkit, we identify robust legislative and regulatory support measures the end-use efficiency sector has received in India and ways to maximise the potential of implementation opportunities at the end-use level. U.S. insights on on-bill financing and energy efficiency costs are also included.

As additional topics linked to decarbonisation take centre stage in India’s electricity regulatory landscape, RAP will produce and share helpful examples from other jurisdictions worldwide that will be responsive to the concerns that are front and centre for India’s central and state decision-makers.

If you would like RAP to keep you abreast of new briefs added to the toolkit, would like to share suggestions and requests on major topics that the toolkit should cover, or have feedback on any of the publications already included in the toolkit, please contact us at [email protected].

EVs Need to Pay Their Fair Share: A Proper Road Use Fee for Electric Vehicles

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Electric vehicles (EVs) need to pay their fair share of road construction and maintenance costs. But by targeting EV owners with inequitable and inefficient fees, state legislatures continue to miss the opportunity to solve the challenge of responsibly funding highways.

In the United States, highway construction and maintenance are primarily funded through taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, known commonly as the “gas tax.” But current taxation revenues do not meet needed funding levels in many states. In response, more than 30 states have sought to make up for the shortfall by imposing large registration fees for electric vehicles. But there aren’t enough EVs to bridge the gap, and larger fees risk stifling electric vehicle adoption.

A better solution, outlined in this policy brief, would be to create a structured fee system so that EV owners pay a fee proportional to their vehicle’s impact on the roads. Such a system would avoid unnecessary administrative processes and ensure that EV owners pay their fair share for highway maintenance, but not stifle the continued adoption of electric vehicles.

电力系统规划:国际视野

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随着双碳目标的持续推进,中国的能源和电力行业正面临新的发展形势。全球变暖带来的极端天气也给电力系统的安全运行带来巨大挑战。长期以来,中国的电力行业以五年规划为核心,为各种资源的投资(和淘汰)数量和类型提供高层指导。在能源转型和气候变化的双重挑战下,世界上的许多国家和地区都在进一步完善规划框架。本文从美国电力行业规划的实践出发,为中国改进电力规划和完善相关法律的制修订提出了一些建议,特别是完善电力系统在不同时间尺度上的展望与规划流程以及建立公开、透明的利益相关方参与体系。

在中国日益市场化的电力系统中,完善五年规划并辅以对电力行业滚动式、评估性的展望将有助于监测电力系统在不同时间尺度下满足可靠性的需求及脱碳进程,为中长期的电力综合资源规划和输电网络规划奠定基础。

本文是该系列报告之一,其余三篇报告分别为“支持高比例电气化,提高系统灵活性:相关法律政策概述及分析”,“法律支持可再生能源开启新篇章”以及“为电力现货市场的运行和监管建立法律基础以支持新型电力系统”

支持高比例电气化,提高系统灵活性:相关法律政策概述及分析

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电气化能带来多重益处。通过电能替代以及用电能满足新的能源需求,电气化可以增加能源利用效率,减少排放。特别是当电力系统中可再生能源比例不断提高时,电气化可以更好地利用这部分绿色电力,并扩大其环境和经济利益。电气化终端也可以为电力系统提供灵活性,推动能源转型。随着电力行业碳达峰碳中和,电气化将有效支撑工业、建筑、交通等终端用能部门碳减排。

中国在电气化的很多方面(如交通领域)已经领先世界。电气化措施主要体现在分行业的政策,近年来,有一些国家和地区制定了较为综合的电气化策略,也在法律中增加了有关电气化的条款。本文结合了国际经验,介绍了欧洲和美国与电气化相关的法律和政策,为中国完善能源相关法律,实现跨越式电气化发展提供了一些备选方案。具体而言,本文围绕着一个关键议题——如何确保高比例电气化能够同时满足成本有效和灵活性目标——我们的主要建议包括:1)继续改善分时零售电价,2)采用非电网替代方案,和3)帮助虚拟电厂参与电力市场。

本文是该系列报告之一,其余三篇报告分别为“电力系统规划:国际视野”,“法律支持可再生能源开启新篇章”以及“为电力现货市场的运行和监管建立法律基础以支持新型电力系统”

法律支持可再生能源开启新篇章

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近年来,在成本下降以及低碳目标的驱动下,可再生能源发展迅速。如何更好地利用可再生能源发电,构建以可再生能源为主体的新型电力系统,并且在可负担的能源成本的前提下保障电力系统的可靠性已经成为主旋律。

国家的现有法律鼓励和支持利用可再生能源和清洁能源发电,电力市场的发展为可再生能源消纳提供了前所未有的机遇。本篇文章从良好运行的电力市场,可再生能源的支持政策,跨省跨区输电和灵活性资源等方面探讨了促进可再生能源发展和消纳的国际经验和教训。欧美国家的法律法规不断演变以支持可再生能源,主要可供参考的措施包括:

1)协调统一能源相关的法律,坚持以市场化方式消纳可再生能源,2)从对可再生能源本身的经济激励转向对电网和消费端的激励/约束政策。3)采用与可再生能源交易相适应的输电网络和价格体系,充分利用跨省跨区输电资源。4)为灵活性资源实现价值扫清障碍。

本文是该系列报告之一,其余三篇报告分别为“电力系统规划:国际视野”,“支持高比例电气化,提高系统灵活性:相关法律政策概述及分析”以及“为电力现货市场的运行和监管建立法律基础以支持新型电力系统”

为电力现货市场的运行和监管建立法律基础以支持新型电力系统

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自2015年新一轮的电力体制改革以来,中国电力市场发展迅速。在现货市场方面,多个省级市场和南方区域电力现货市场初具规模。跨省跨区现货交易在富余可再生能源现货交易平台的基础上,进一步扩大了市场参与的范围和规模,为区域以及全国电力市场体系的建设和完善奠定了基础。

作为一种重要的监管“工具”,电力市场需要充分发挥配置资源的决定性作用,形成能够反映电能供需情况的电价,并最终实现社会福利最大化–包括增加系统可靠性,完成低碳目标,同时降低系统成本。本篇文章回顾了电力现货市场设计的几个关键问题的概念和原则,梳理了欧美国家与电力市场监管相关的法律框架,这些法律法规促进了欧美国家向低碳高效的电力系统转型。我们为中国政策制定者在考虑电力市场相关的法律制修订提供的备选方案包括:1)明确电力市场各个组成和监管机构的职责 2)制定有关稀缺电价、经济调度、输电容量分配,区域市场和缓解市场力的要求 3)增强法律之间,以及各行业政策之间的协调和互相促进。

本文是该系列报告之一,其余三篇报告分别为“电力系统规划:国际视野”,“法律支持可再生能源开启新篇章”以及“支持高比例电气化,提高系统灵活性:相关法律政策概述及分析”