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适合新型能源系统的灵活性电力中长期合同:美国视角

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电力合同管理的相关政策、法规和市场机制对于电力系统的可靠性、效率、成本和排放都有着重大影响。这不仅在中国和美国,而且在世界其他各国都同样如此,特别是对那些致力于实现碳排放目标的国家来说更是如此。在2010年代初开始的工作基础上,中国国家发展和改革委员会和国家能源局最近颁布的政策文件中也呼吁要在电力中长期合同和合同履约机制方面继续发展。

本文着重介绍了签订金融合同的原则,并介绍了美国有竞争性能源市场的地区的实际经验,这些能源市场与中国正在建立的现货市场大致相似。我们希望通过本文可以阐明一些政策和市场设计方案,这些方案有助于支持新能源、提高系统可靠性和效率,同时也能控制系统成本。我们主要的观点是,金融合同在提高系统效率、降低排放、促进价格形成、完善系统灵活性以及可再生能源并网等方面,要优于物理合同。

Practical Power Sector Reforms To Boost Reliability, Reduce Risk and Accelerate Carbon Peaking

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In 2020, the Chinese government announced its twin intent to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. Since establishing these landmark objectives, often referred to as the “dual carbon targets,” China has set in place a 1+N policy framework and issued high-level directives regarding the power sector. These directives focus on “speeding up the development of the new electric power system” and “optimizing clean energy generation.” 

In 2022, RAP released an initial version of this paper, presenting recommendations for power sector reforms to support and complement the 1+N directives. The recommendations are founded on our global team’s analysis of the feasibility of various measures in the power sector in other parts of the world and on our understanding of Chinese policies and institutions, including decades of discussion and collaboration with government authorities and partners. Our recommendations offer practical ways to follow these principles and build on China’s world-leading renewable energy investment — while containing costs and accelerating progress toward the dual carbon targets. 

This updated version addresses recent policy statements which imply a perceived trade-off between 1) an optimized new electric power system based on clean energy and 2) other goals such as power sector reliability and energy security. The experience of other countries — and of various pilot reforms in China — suggests, in contrast, that power sector reforms, such as those recommended, can enhance energy security and power sector reliability while also advancing China’s efforts towards the dual carbon targets.

 

本报告已有中文版

新形势下的电力行业改革: 促进系统稳定性、降低风险、加速碳达峰

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中国做出具有历史性意义的双碳目标承诺后,中共中央、国务院、国家发改委和国家能源局发布了“1+N”政策体系中的首要两个政策文件,为电力部门制定了顶层设计方案,提出了“加快建设新型电力系统”及“优化清洁能源发电”等要求。2021年以来,各行各业分领域的政策文件陆续出台,初步构成了“1+N”政策体系。本系列文章旨在聚焦电力行业改革,为细化政策指令提出建议,以望在近期(即“十四五规划”)内对该政策体系提供支持。这些建议既基于我们全球团队对世界其他地区电力行业中许多措施可行性的分析,也综合了我们对中国政策和制度的理解,包括与政府相关部门和合作伙伴数十年的讨论与合作。

本文为此系列第一篇,概述了我们对电力部门改革的各方面建议,具体涵盖如下领域:

  • 实施“全国统一电力市场体系”的下一步工作;
  • 实施透明的电力部门规划,支持转型期间系统可靠性;
  • 解锁低成本方案以支持系统灵活性和可再生能源并网;
  • 在电力行业改革工作中落实“节约优先”的承诺。

 

This paper is also available in English.

容量补偿机制设计应如何“扬长避短”?

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近年来,随着煤电倒挂现象以及电力现货市场的快速发展,容量补偿机制已成为热门话题。睿博能源智库之前已探讨过稀缺电价相关问题,而本文与E3共同撰写,旨在简要介绍美国容量补偿机制的设计原则,并结合中国国情,提出在中国电力市场实施容量补偿机制的建议。这些建议包括:

1)容量补偿机制不应是必须的,而应该根据当地电力资源稀缺情况决定是否实施;

2)容量补偿机制应该基于科学稳健的资源充足性评估过程,避免补偿不必要的资源,并且不应保证所有资源的成本回收;

3)容量补偿机制应该平等对待所有资源,包括需求侧资源;以及

4)容量补偿机制应该采取绩效问责制,对在系统紧张时无法提供电力的资源予以惩罚。

本文首刊于《南方能源观察》(2023年3月23日)

Better, faster, stronger: A look into further electricity market reforms

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The European energy crisis was not caused by the electricity market. But it sure made people pay closer-than-usual attention to its design. That is not a bad thing. The electricity market becomes ever more important as large swaths of the economy further electrify. The electricity market therefore needs to be fit-for-purpose. In this briefing, RAP lays out how the electricity market can deliver better, faster and stronger for the energy transition and the people living it.

Any follow-up to the crisis should aim to speed up the replacement of fossil fuels with renewables, demand-side flexibility, storage and energy efficiency. The focus of market reform induced by this crisis should be to elevate the demand side on par with supply-side resources and improve hedging in the market to alleviate the remainder of the ongoing crisis and prepare for the next. This requires boosting a new portfolio of longer-term market features to share risks and benefit consumers.

Here, RAP discusses the following advances in market design:

  • Short-term markets see location and scarcity
  • Forward markets allocate risks
  • Contracts for Difference are carefully designed and procured
  • Infrastructure planning and operation integrates sectors
  • Windfall profit taxation as the exception
  • Capacity remuneration mechanisms fit for flexibility
  • Required demand-side flexibility
  • Empowered and protected consumers

Comment on NEA’s latest draft policy “Electricity Spot Market Basic Rules”

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As part of the ongoing effort to establish a unified national electricity spot market, in December, China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) issued two draft policy documents, “Electricity Spot Market Basic Rules” and “Measures for the Supervision of the Electricity Spot Markets”. These policies propose standardized national spot market rules and market monitoring procedures.  This standardization has the potential to provide common ground upon which provinces implement their version of spot market rules. More broadly, the spot market effort has the potential to help support integration of renewable energy.

Sharing the ongoing development of electricity markets challenges and opportunities worldwide, authors Max Dupuy and Chi Gao provided comments to NEA on the two documents, suggesting four practical improvements:

  • Further specifying the detailed implementation of market monitoring and cost survey procedures to prevent market abuse.
  • Canceling price ceiling and floor in spot markets to allow better price signals to support system flexibility.
  • Cautioning against capacity payments, which could exacerbate overbuilding of coal-fired generation capacity.
  • Dissolving interprovincial barriers to renewable integration and encouraging the establishment of truly unified multi-province dispatch regions.

The paper is Chinese only.

国际视野:对电力现货市场基本规则的建议

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国家能源局近日发布的《电力现货市场基本规则(征求意见稿)》和《电力现货市场监管办法(征求意见稿)》,为达成全国统一市场迈出了重要的一步。这两份文件在许多关键问题上提出了有建设意义的规定——在新能源转型的大背景下,这些市场设计问题在很多国家也已引发了激烈的讨论。

如何设计出运行良好的电力市场,也是睿博能源智库长期以来研究的议题之一。我们非常高兴地看到能源局对此公开征求意见,并在很短时间内,基于我们对中国电力市场的观察和理解,梳理总结出欧洲、美国和其他国家的相关经验,希望可以借此机会提出一些具备实操性的建议,以供参考。

Discom Business Models Require Changes to Promote Distributed Energy Resources

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In this third part of our distributed energy resources (DER) in India series, we look at changes to the current distribution company (discom) business models. These models can overcome the financial disincentives DERs often face. Instead, discoms can embrace and promote DERs to improve system efficiency, increase consumer savings, and address climate change goals.

This short paper discusses the reasons the current discom model should change and how regulators should listen to concerns many discoms have when it comes to the changes associated with promoting DERs.

The paper also discusses the steps regulators can take when it comes to transforming the current discom business model, including:

  • Require discoms to evaluate non-wires alternatives to meet system needs where practical and cost effective
  • Require discoms to create distribution system platforms
  • Require discoms to modify tariff design to send unbundled granular price signals to facilitate DERs
  • Require discoms to develop DER programs
  • Develop a process to effectuate changes to the discom business model

Read Part 1: Empowering Retail Customers: Improve Efficiency, Lower Costs and Reduce Emissions

Read Part 2: Facilitating Distributed Energy Resources Requires Policy Actions 

Electricity market reform, beyond the gas crisis

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In the past, power market reform happened to increase efficiency, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, or to improve reliability and security of supply. Today in Europe, the desire to further change the market stems from the ongoing energy crisis. As the European Union introduces a new round of electricity market reforms, RAP explores where new market regulation would usefully tackle the root causes of the ongoing energy crisis, meet consumer needs and help Europe move away from fossil fuels.

The current energy crisis is a gas crisis. It is a nightmarish scenario stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting supply disruption of cheap pipeline gas, converging with decommissioning of nuclear capacity and low hydro output. Hedging strategies by energy suppliers and consumers fell short and unprecedented wholesale market prices for fossil gas made consumer gas and electricity bills explode.

Strategies must therefore improve hedging in the market if Europe is to mitigate the energy crisis – and prepare for the next. To this end, RAP recommends replacing the role of fossil gas with renewables, demand-side flexibility and energy efficiency. More precisely, this requires:

  • Recognising and promoting demand-side resources as a vital system resource.
  • Building out more solar and wind, and doing so better and faster.
  • Protecting basic consumer needs better than in the past.

For policymakers weighing whether to implement these actions, the authors explain the various considerations.