Participation of Electric Vehicle Aggregators in Wholesale Electricity Markets: Recent Works and Future Directions

Electric Vehicles are key to reducing carbon emissions while bringing a revolution to the transportation sector. With the massive increase of EVs in road networks and the growing demand for charging services, the electric power grid faces enormous system reliability and operation stability challenges. Demand and supply disparities create inconsistency in the smooth delivery of electrical power. As a potential solution, EVs and their charging infrastructure can be aggregated to prevent the unwanted effects on power systems and also facilitate ancillary services to the power grid. When not need for transportation purposes, EVs can leverage their batteries for power grid services by participating in the electricity market via mechanisms coordinated by system operators. Hence, the market participation of EV infrastructure can help alleviate the power grid stress during peak periods. However, further research is needed to demonstrate the multiple benefits to both EV owners and power grid operators. This paper briefly overviews the existing literature on market participation of EV aggregators, discuss associated challenges and needs, and propose research directions for future research

Essays on the Demand-Side Management in Electricity Markets

This Ph.D. thesis focuses on the demand-side management in electricity markets and a new player in the market { an aggregator of exible demand. The thesis consists of three independent chapters investigating the entrance of this new player in the power markets from di erent angles: focusing on the aggregator, a large power consumer and a producer. The rst chapter, \Aggregation of demand-side exibility in electricity markets: the e ects of portfolio choice", analyses the performance of the aggregator depending on its portfolio choice. I have investigated several portfolios of di erent exibility sources: electrical vehi- cles, heat pumps and/or home appliances like washing machines, dryers and dish washers. I have used Nord Pool power market data for Denmark's bidding area DK2 to identify the e ects of the portfolio choice on the imbalance payments and compensations to consumers that provide exibility. The results show that di erent compositions of exibility sources lead to di erent imbalance payments and compensations to consumers. However, there is no signi cant additional value of having an access to all types of exibility sources unless there is a xed contract cost. This suggests that the aggregator would choose to specialise in cer- tain types of exibility sources. Also, I nd that the incentives for consumers to participate in demand-side management programs might be not su cient, since the compensation for the provided exibility is very low

Renewable Energy Communities and Public Private Partnership: the case of Montevarchi

Il presente elaborato tratta il tema del Partenariato Pubblico Privato applicato alle Comunità Energetiche Rinnovabili (CER) nel panorama italiano. A seguito dell'individuazione del progetto di CER nel Comune di Montevarchi (AR), interamente sviluppato in regime di PPP e coerente con il D.Lgs 199/2021, che da attuazione alla Direttiva RED II dell'Unione Europea, e allo studio della letteratura in merito alle CER, è stato possibile rispondere alla domanda di ricerca, ovvero se effettivamente il PPP è la migliore alternativa per implementare un CER nel Comune di Montevarchi, considerando gli interessi degli stakeholder promotori. Quindi è stata svolta la Multi-Actor-multi Criteria Analysis, che attraverso interviste semi-strutturate e questionari sottoposti al Sindaco del Comune e al privato proponente, è stato possibile valutare, relativamente ad altre modalità implementate da altre CER nel territorio italiano, che il PPP rappresenta la migliore alternativa che si propone di soddisfare maggiormente gli interessi delle parti. Fatti salvo i limiti che derivano principalmente che l'iniziativa è ancora in stato iniziale e l'incertezza normativa che caratterizza queste realtà innovative, la metodologia utilizzata viene proposta per future iniziative di CER in modo da coinvolgere il maggior numero di stakeholder già dalle fasi iniziali dell'iniziativa, oltre che sensibilizzare contestualmente i futuri utenti al tema dell'energia rinnovabile e condivisa, elemento senza il quale queste non potrebbero emergere ed operare.This thesis deals with the theme of the Public Private Partnership applied to the Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) in the Italian panorama. Following the identification of the CER project in the Municipality of Montevarchi (AR), entirely developed under the PPP regime and consistent with Legislative Decree 199/2021, which implements the European Union's RED II Directive, and the study of the literature on RECs, it was possible to answer the research question, as that whether the PPP is actually the best alternative to implement a REC in the Municipality of Montevarchi, considering the interests of the promoting stakeholders. Then the Multi-Actor-multi Criteria Analysis was carried out, which through semi-structured interviews and questionnaires submitted to the Mayor of the Municipality and to the private proponent, it was possible to evaluate, in relation to other methods implemented by other RECs in the Italian territory, that the PPP represents the best alternative that aims to better satisfy the interests of the parties. Without prejudice to the limitations that mainly derive from the fact that the initiative is still in an initial stage and the regulatory uncertainty that characterizes these innovative realities, the methodology used is proposed for future REC initiatives in order to involve the largest number of stakeholders right from the initial stages of the initiative, as well as simultaneously sensitizing future users to the theme of renewable and shared energy, an element without which they could not emerge and operate

Investigation on electricity market designs enabling demand response and wind generation

Demand Response (DR) comprises some reactions taken by the end-use customers to decrease or shift the electricity consumption in response to a change in the price of electricity or a specified incentive payment over time. Wind energy is one of the renewable energies which has been increasingly used throughout the world. The intermittency and volatility of renewable energies, wind energy in particular, pose several challenges to Independent System Operators (ISOs), paving the way to an increasing interest on Demand Response Programs (DRPs) to cope with those challenges. Hence, this thesis addresses various electricity market designs enabling DR and Renewable Energy Systems (RESs) simultaneously. Various types of DRPs are developed in this thesis in a market environment, including Incentive-Based DR Programs (IBDRPs), Time-Based Rate DR Programs (TBRDRPs) and combinational DR programs on wind power integration. The uncertainties of wind power generation are considered through a two-stage Stochastic Programming (SP) model. DRPs are prioritized according to the ISO’s economic, technical, and environmental needs by means of the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. The impacts of DRPs on price elasticity and customer benefit function are addressed, including the sensitivities of both DR parameters and wind power scenarios. Finally, a two-stage stochastic model is applied to solve the problem in a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) approach. The proposed model is applied to a modified IEEE test system to demonstrate the effect of DR in the reduction of operation cost.A Resposta Dinâmica dos Consumidores (DR) compreende algumas reações tomadas por estes para reduzir ou adiar o consumo de eletricidade, em resposta a uma mudança no preço da eletricidade, ou a um pagamento/incentivo específico. A energia eólica é uma das energias renováveis que tem sido cada vez mais utilizada em todo o mundo. A intermitência e a volatilidade das energias renováveis, em particular da energia eólica, acarretam vários desafios para os Operadores de Sistema (ISOs), abrindo caminho para um interesse crescente nos Programas de Resposta Dinâmica dos Consumidores (DRPs) para lidar com esses desafios. Assim, esta tese aborda os mercados de eletricidade com DR e sistemas de energia renovável (RES) simultaneamente. Vários tipos de DRPs são desenvolvidos nesta tese em ambiente de mercado, incluindo Programas de DR baseados em incentivos (IBDRPs), taxas baseadas no tempo (TBRDRPs) e programas combinados (TBRDRPs) na integração de energia eólica. As incertezas associadas à geração eólica são consideradas através de um modelo de programação estocástica (SP) de dois estágios. Os DRPs são priorizados de acordo com as necessidades económicas, técnicas e ambientais do ISO por meio da técnica para ordem de preferência por similaridade com a solução ideal (TOPSIS). Os impactes dos DRPs na elasticidade do preço e na função de benefício ao cliente são abordados, incluindo as sensibilidades dos parâmetros de DR e dos cenários de potência eólica. Finalmente, um modelo estocástico de dois estágios é aplicado para resolver o problema numa abordagem de programação linear inteira mista (MILP). O modelo proposto é testado num sistema IEEE modificado para demonstrar o efeito da DR na redução do custo de operação

Proceedings of the International Conference on Energising the SDGs through Appropriate Technology and Governance

This volume presents the papers presented at the international conference on Energising the SDGs through appropriate technology and governance. Papers were presented in eight sessions. In addition, there was a keynote speech, a panel discussion, a workshop on Sustainability Compass and a lunch-time poster session. This compendium provides a summary of the event and includes original papers and posters delivered at the conference. These covered various themes, including climate action plan in UK and Japanese cities and their alignment with the SDGs; sustainable energy access; contribution of renewable energies, urban design and sustainable development goals, tools for evaluation and monitoring of progress with the SDGs, and innovations and business models for various services

Can Upward Brand Extensions be an Opportunity for Marketing Managers During the Covid-19 Pandemic and Beyond?

Early COVID-19 research has guided current managerial practice by introducing more products across different product categories as consumers tried to avoid perceived health risks from food shortages, i.e. horizontal brand extensions. For example, Leon, a fast-food restaurant in the UK, introduced a new range of ready meal products. However, when the food supply stabilised, availability may no longer be a concern for consumers. Instead, job losses could be a driver of higher perceived financial risks. Meanwhile, it remains unknown whether the perceived health or financial risks play a more significant role on consumers’ consumptions. Our preliminary survey shows perceived health risks outperform perceived financial risks to positively influence purchase intention during COVID-19. We suggest such a result indicates an opportunity for marketers to consider introducing premium priced products, i.e. upward brand extensions. The risk-as�feelings and signalling theories were used to explain consumer choice under risk may adopt affective heuristic processing, using minimal cognitive efforts to evaluate products. Based on this, consumers are likely to be affected by the salient high-quality and reliable product cue of upward extension signalled by its premium price level, which may attract consumers to purchase when they have high perceived health risks associated with COVID-19. Addressing this, a series of experimental studies confirm that upward brand extensions (versus normal new product introductions) can positively moderate the positive effect between perceived health risks associated with COVID-19 and purchase intention. Such an effect can be mediated by affective heuristic information processing. The results contribute to emergent COVID-19 literature and managerial practice during the pandemic but could also inform post-pandemic thinking around vertical brand extensions

Kreative acts of strategy (kaos): a business plan for a new type of small consultancy

M310: Marketing Z100: Cultural Economics; Economic Sociology; Economic AnthropologyThe proposed business is designed as a small Creative Brand Consulting and Collaborative Innovation firm that caters to Small-to-Medium sized (SME) consumer goods/services producing enterprises. It derives its innovative approach from a proprietary framework, which is implemented as an analysis tool to audit a client’s business in a strategically new way. The ASP framework draws its pillars, Authenticity, Sustainability, and Product Functionality from the condensation of contemporary discourse about these topics. All of the pillar traits can be found in many of today’s successful, global brands, which encourages to manifest them as a strategically applicable tool. The overall goal is hereby to reduce so-called negative externalities, that is, to reduce environmental/societal harm and to enhance outcomes’ functional value to eventually create a more friendly but efficient co-living environment. It is believed that doing so increases a brands’ intrinsic value through claiming a socially beneficial purpose apart from the purpose to grow infinitely. Apart from offering Management Consulting services for small businesses within the respective context, the proposed plan stipulates a risk diversification through the offer of additional business services. The innovative approach focuses on a lean business structure, which entails to form a “temporary” enterprise by collaborating with contractors only when needed, that is, project based. The proposed business aims to grow slowly and organically, as it is demanded by its values and its mission to successfully shape a consumption environment that both grows and produces positive societal outcomes.O negócio proposto é designado como uma pequena consultoria criativa de marca e firma de inovação colaborativa que presta serviços a pequenas e médias empresas (PME) produtoras de bens consumíveis (englobando também, nesta categoria, bens perecíveis) e/ou serviços. As estratégias inovadoras, na qual os serviços propostos neste negócio são baseados, derivam de um framework da empresa que é implementado como uma ferramenta de análise, de modo a auditar o negócio do cliente duma nova forma estratégica, na qual foi dada a definição de ASP framework. O ASP framework cria os seus pilares, Autenticidade, Sustentabilidade, e funcionalidade do Produto, como um resultado da condensação de discursos contemporâneos referentes aos mesmos. Todas as características dos pilares podem ser encontrados em inúmeras marcas globais de sucesso, pelo que encoraja a manifestá-las como uma estratégia aplicável.Tendo por base de aplicação o meio retratado precedentemente, o objetivo é reduzir as negatividades externas, ou seja, reduzir perigos ambientais e sociais de modo a aprimorar o valor funcional (resultados) com o intuito de criar um ambiente eficiente de coabitação societal e, eventualmente, mais amigável. A sua aplicação é espectável na medida que contribui para um incremento no valor intrínseco da marca, reivindicando uma proposta de benefício social e contrariando a proposta comum de crescimento infinito. Para além de oferecer consultoria de gestão de serviços para pequenas empresas (PE), englobadas no respetivo contexto, o plano proposto estipula uma diversificação de riscos através duma oferta adicional de serviços de negócios. Esta aproximação inovadora foca-se numa estrutura de aprendizagem do negócio, que consiste na formação de uma empresa temporária, colaborando com contratantes apenas quando preciso consoante o projeto. Em suma, o negócio proposto procura um crescimento vagaroso e orgânico, tal como é exigido através dos seus valores e missão para moldar, com sucesso, um ambiente de consumismo que não só cresce mas também contribui positivamente para resultados sociais

Three Empirical Studies in Market Design

Market design is the development of mechanisms that improve market efficiency and build on an understanding of the interaction between human behavior and market rules. The first chapter considers the sale of a charitable membership where the charity poses the market design question of how to price these memberships to capture the maximum value from donors' altruism. Using an online natural field experiment with over 700,000 subjects, this chapter tests theory on price discounts and shows large differences in donation behavior between donors who have previously given money and/or volunteered. For example, framing the charity's membership price as a discount increases response rates and decreases conditional contributions from former volunteers, but not from past money donors. This chapter thereby demonstrates the importance of conditioning fundraising strategies on the specifics of past donation dimensions. The second chapter examines an auction used to solve the assignment and price determination problems where price depends on the propensity to own or farm the land, a non-market good. This chapter studies bidder behavior in a reverse auction where landowners compete to sell and retire the right to develop their farmland. A reduced form bidding model is used to estimate the role of bidder competition, winner's curse correction, and the underlying distribution of private values. The chapter concludes that the auction enrolled as much as 3,000 acres (12 percent) more than a take-it-or-leave-it offer (i.e., non-auction program) would have enrolled for the same budgetary cost. Finally, the third chapter considers the online advertising word auction. The pricing determination and assignment problem must occur for over 2,000 consumer searches each second. Theory is developed where asymmetric advertisers compete and an advertiser-optimal equilibrium bidding strategy is presented that is robust to this asymmetry. Within this rich strategy space, it is shown that advertiser subsidization can be revenue increasing for the search engine. Using a novel dataset of more than 4,500 keyword bids by three firms on four search engines, a simulation of the auction environment illustrates that bidder subsidization is indeed revenue positive and can be improved upon by imposing bid caps or fixed bids on the subsidized bidder

Solving Multi-objective Integer Programs using Convex Preference Cones

Esta encuesta tiene dos objetivos: en primer lugar, identificar a los individuos que fueron víctimas de algún tipo de delito y la manera en que ocurrió el mismo. En segundo lugar, medir la eficacia de las distintas autoridades competentes una vez que los individuos denunciaron el delito que sufrieron. Adicionalmente la ENVEI busca indagar las percepciones que los ciudadanos tienen sobre las instituciones de justicia y el estado de derecho en Méxic