Regulatory Instruments for Deployment of Clean Energy Technologies

Answering to the formidable challenge of climate change calls for a quick transition to a future economy with a drastic reduction in GHG emissions. And this in turn requires the development and massive deployment of new low-carbon energy technologies as soon as possible. Although many of these technologies have been identified, the critical issue is how to make them happen at the global level, possibly by integrating this effort into a global climate regime. This paper discusses the preferred approaches to foster low-carbon energy technologies from a regulatory point of view. Specific promotion policies for energy efficiency and conservation, renewable energy, carbon capture and sequestration, and nuclear power are examined, but the focus is on the regulatory instruments that will be needed for the deployment of enhancements to electricity grids and the associated control systems so that they are able to integrate intelligent demand response, distributed generation and storage in an efficient, reliable & environmentally responsible manner. The paper also comments on the interactions between technology and climate change policies and provides recommendations for policy makers.Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research

From distribution networks to smart distribution systems : rethinking the regulation of European electricity DSOs

Revised version of Florence School of Regulation; 2013/05; THINK Policy BriefsDistributed energy resources allow for new business models that have the potential to substantially change today's power system functioning paradigm. In particular, these changes pose challenges for distribution system operators (DSOs) and their regulation alike. This article sheds light on missing aspects in current regulation, recognizing DSOs as regulated monopolies, but also as key players along the supply chain. We provide insights on how regulation should be adjusted so that DSOs are incentivized to facilitate the market entry of welfare-enhancing technologies in a timely fashion, and to manage the distribution system efficiently in the presence of distributed energy resources

Point-of-care lung ultrasound assessment for risk stratification and therapy guiding in COVID-19 patients. A prospective non-interventional study.

Background Lung ultrasound is feasible for assessing lung injury caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the prognostic meaning and time-line changes of lung injury assessed by lung ultrasound in COVID-19 hospitalised patients are unknown. Methods Prospective cohort study designed to analyse prognostic value of lung ultrasound in COVID-19 patients by using a quantitative scale (lung ultrasound Zaragoza (LUZ)-score) during the first 72 h after admission. The primary end-point was in-hospital death and/or admission to the intensive care unit. Total length of hospital stay, increase of oxygen flow and escalation of medical treatment during the first 72 h were secondary end-points. Results 130 patients were included in the final analysis; mean±sd age was 56.7±13.5 years. Median (interquartile range) time from the beginning of symptoms to admission was 6 (4–9) days. Lung injury assessed by LUZ-score did not differ during the first 72 h (21 (16–26) points at admission versus 20 (16–27) points at 72 h; p=0.183). In univariable logistic regression analysis, estimated arterial oxygen tension/inspiratory oxygen fraction ratio (PAFI) (hazard ratio 0.99, 95% CI 0.98–0.99; p=0.027) and LUZ-score >22 points (5.45, 1.42–20.90; p=0.013) were predictors for the primary end-point. Conclusions LUZ-score is an easy, simple and fast point-of-care ultrasound tool to identify patients with severe lung injury due to COVID-19, upon admission. Baseline score is predictive of severity along the whole period of hospitalisation. The score facilitates early implementation or intensification of treatment for COVID-19 infection. LUZ-score may be combined with clinical variables (as estimated by PAFI) to further refine risk stratification

New regulatory and business model approaches to achieving universal electricity access

Published online: June 2017Universal access to electricity should be achievable by 2030, the deadline proposed by the UN in its Access for all initiative. However, progress so far has been too slow. The International Energy Agency estimates that by 2030 still more than half billion people, mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, will lack electricity access. Technology and sufficient funding exist, yet other key components of the solution are clearly missing. This paper argues that an essential lacking component is a regulatory and associated business model package that is well adapted to the specific characteristics of electrification in the least developed countries, and that can be supported by sound quantitative analysis of the costs and benefits of every considered option

Design criteria for implementing a capacity mechanism in deregulated electricity markets

Over twenty years since electricity industry deregulation was first implemented, and nearly ten since many power systems boarded the liberalization train, reliability of supply appears to be the major concern of energy regulators. Drawing from the cumulative experience of systems that have already implemented some manner of security of supply mechanism, the present article reviews the main criteria to be taken into consideration in the design of a regulatory mechanism of this nature.

Modeling unit commitment in political context: Case of China's partially restructured electricity sector

© 2018 IEEE. Restructuring an electricity sector entails a complex realignment of political and economic institutions, which may both delay and distort the achievement of satisfactorily competitive conditions. In research and planning for policy interventions in power systems under these varied regulatory environments, typical operational models may neglect important interactions between techno-economic criteria and political constraints, leading to poor understanding of underlying causes of inefficiency and to inappropriate recommendations. We develop tractable formulations of the unit commitment problem based on integer clustering of similar units that endogenize important political factors in the Northeast grid region of China. We demonstrate the importance of these interactions on operations and provide a set of options for researchers to explore further pathways for China's ongoing power system reforms. For example, wind integration, a key policy priority, is inhibited by the interaction of institutions limiting short- A nd long-term sources of flexibilities in interprovincial trade