Determining Utility System Value of Demand Flexibility From Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings

This report focuses on ways current methods and practices that establish the value to electric utility systems of distributed energy resource (DER) investments can be enhanced to determine the value of demand flexibility in grid-interactive efficient buildings that can provide grid services. The report introduces key valuation concepts that are applicable to demand flexibility that these buildings can provide and links to other documents that describe these concepts and their implementation in more detail.The scope of this report is limited to the valuation of economic benefits to the utility system. These are the foundational values on which other benefits (and costs) can be built. Establishing the economic value to the grid of demand flexibility provides the information needed to design programs, market rules, and rates that align the economic interest of utility customers with building owners and occupants. By nature, DERs directly impact customers and provide societal benefits external to the utility system. Jurisdictions can use utility system benefits and costs as the foundation of their economic analysis but align their primary cost-effectiveness metric with all applicable policy objectives, which may include customer and societal (non-utility system) impacts.This report suggests enhancements to current methods and practices that state and local policymakers, public utility commissions, state energy offices, utilities, state utility consumer representatives, and other stakeholders might support. These enhancements can improve the consistency and robustness of economic valuation of demand flexibility for grid services. The report concludes with a discussion of considerations for prioritizing implementation of these improvements

Fit for planning? An evaluation of the application of development viability appraisal models in the UK planning system

The aim of this paper is to critically examine the application of development appraisal to viability assessment in the planning system. This evaluation is of development appraisal models in general and also their use in particular applications associated with estimating planning obligation capacity. The paper is organised into four themes: · The context and conceptual basis for development viability appraisal · A review of development viability appraisal methods · A discussion of selected key inputs into a development viability appraisal · A discussion of the applications of development viability appraisals in the planning system It is assumed that readers are familiar with the basic models and information needs of development viability appraisal rather than at the cutting edge of practice and/or academ

Electricity Sector Reform in Developing Countries: A Survey of Empirical Evidence on Determinants and Performance

This paper reviews the empirical evidence on electricity reform in developing countries. We find that country institutions and sector governance play an important role in success and failure of reform; reforms appear to have increased operating efficiency and expanded access to urban customers; they have to a lesser degree passed on efficiency gains to customers, tackled distributional effects, or improved rural access. Moreover, some of the literature is not methodologically robust or on a par with general development economics literature and findings on some issues are limited and inconclusive while some important areas are yet to be addressed. Until we know more, implementation of reforms will be more based on ideology and economic theory rather than solid economic evidence.The World Bank Electricity Research Programme and the CMI Electricity Project (IR-45

State of the art of pricing policy in air transportation: network carriers vs. low-cost airlines

The modern air transport industry is highly competitive. To survive in the market, the implementation of a successful marketing strategy is fundamental. In particular, an effective pricing policy has become crucial for airlines to remain profitable. Correspondingly, the different types of airline in the market have also established very distinct pricing policies. The present study is based on a literature review and presents the state of the art of pricing policy in air transportation. The aim is to compare and discuss the pricing strategies of network carriers and low-cost airlines. Special attention is paid to Revenue Management, which is a very important management tool used by airlines to take advantage of the differences in willingness to pay of passengers. The pricing policy, however, depends on the overall business strategy of the airline. Results show many differences, resulting from the fact that these two types of airline are characterized by very different fundamental business models and, correspondingly, also target groups. Since network carriers and also low-cost airlines have adjusted their pricing strategies lately, these recent developments will be discussed as well. This paper adds to the knowledge of this topic because it presents the most up-to-date and complete study on pricing regarding network carriers vs. low-cost airlines.A moderna indústria do transporte aéreo é altamente competitiva. Para sobreviver no mercado, a implementação de uma estratégia de marketing bem-sucedida é fundamental. Em particular, uma política de preços eficaz tornou-se crucial para as companhias aéreas continuarem lucrativas. Os diferentes tipos de companhias aéreas no mercado também estabeleceram políticas de preços muito distintas. O presente estudo baseia-se numa revisão da literatura e apresenta o estado da arte da política de preços no transporte aéreo. O objetivo é comparar e discutir as estratégias de preços de companhias aéreas de linha e companhias aéreas de baixo custo. Atenção especial é dada à Gestão de Receitas (Revenue Management), que é uma ferramenta de gestão usada pelas companhias aéreas para aproveitar as diferenças na disposição de pagar dos passageiros. A política de preços, no entanto, depende da estratégia geral de negócios da companhia aérea. Os resultados mostram muitas diferenças, resultantes do facto de que esses dois tipos de companhias aéreas são caracterizados por modelos de negócios fundamentais muito diferentes e, correspondentemente, também grupos-alvo. Como as operadoras de rede e também as companhias aéreas de baixo custo ajustaram as suas estratégias de preços ultimamente, esses desenvolvimentos recentes também serão discutidos. Este documento contribui para o conhecimento deste tópico, pois apresenta o estudo mais atualizado e completo sobre preços de companhias aéreas de linha versus companhias aéreas de baixo custo.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Focusing on the Few: the Role of Large Taxpayer Units in the Revenue Strategies of Developing Countries

Part I of this paper first reviews the spread of LTUs, and briefly describes the experience of LTUs in a few selected countries. This section takes up the question of the LTU as an enclave administrative reform versus semi-autonomous revenue agencies and "whole of government" reform involving broad based wages, human resources planning and anti-corruption measures.Part II examines the emergence of the LTU and its relationships to the remainder of the tax administration system in different kinds of developing and transition economies, such as (i)capable developing states, (ii) administratively weak but governance improving states, and (iii)captured states. The relative success of LTUs can improve our understanding of the enclave approach to governance reforms as well as yielding insights that are intrinsic to the challenge of improving revenue mobilization. LTUs and their roles in developing country economies can also be interpreted through the prism of recent revisionist writings on best policies for the tax mix in the presence of a major informal sector and a government sector with a highly constrained taxing capacity and high vulnerability to corruption.Working Paper Number 04-44

Fighting VAT fraud: the Bulgarian experience

This paper draws on the experience of Bulgaria in identifying the types and modus operandi of VAT frauds with a focus on the abuse of tax credit. It analyses the elements of tax design permissive of such abuses and discusses the possible solutions in the light of the international and domestic experience and the capacity of the tax dministration. It offers a critical analysis of the Bulgarian anti-fraud device the VAT account, as well as the various alternative policy and administrative measures proposed or applied as barriers to abuse of VAT credit, including those pertaining to the domain of commercial registration, or those related to indicative “market” prices of commercial transactions. The study concludes that the possible solutions should be sought along the lines of optimizing risk management and the principle of joint liability rather than through tighter controls at entry and on the conduct of business

Resources for Peace? Managing Revenues from Extractive Industries in Post-Conflict Environments

Revenues from extractive sectors such as oil and gas, minerals, and logging play an important role in many post-conflict environments, often providing more than 30% of state fiscal receipts. When managed well, these revenues can help to finance postwar reconstruction and other vital peace-related needs. When mismanaged, however, resource revenues can undermine both economic performance and the quality of governance, thereby heightening the risk of renewed violence. This paper offers a number of proposals for managing revenues from extractive industries to better support peacebuilding.Extractive resources; oil revenues; peacebuilding; revenue-sharing