1,939 research outputs found
Market Design for Generation Adequacy: Healing Causes rather than Symptoms
Keywords JEL Classification This paper argues that electricity market reform â particularly the need for complementary mechanisms to remunerate capacity â need to be analysed in the light of the local regulatory and institutional environment. If there is a lack of investment, the priority should be to identify the roots of the problem. The lack of demand side response, short-term reliability management procedures and uncompetitive ancillary services procurement often undermine market reflective scarcity pricing and distort long-term investment incentives. The introduction of a capacity mechanism should come as an optional supplement to wholesale and ancillary markets improvements. Priority reforms should focus on encouraging demand side responsiveness and reducing scarcity price distortions introduced by balancing and congestion management through better dialog between network engineers and market operators. electricity market, generation adequacy, market design, capacity mechanis
Silicon material task. Part 3: Low-cost silicon solar array project
The feasibility of a process for carbon reduction of low impurity silica in a plasma heat source was investigated to produce low-cost solar-grade silicon. Theoretical aspects of the reaction chemistry were studied with the aid of a computer program using iterative free energy minimization. These calculations indicate a threshold temperature exists at 2400 K below which no silicon is formed. The computer simulation technique of molecular dynamics was used to study the quenching of product species
Recommended from our members
Generation Adequacy and Investment Incentives in Britain: from the Pool to NETA
Three years after the controversial change of the British market design from compulsory Pool with capacity payments to decentralised energy-only New Electricity Trading Arrangements (NETA) market framework, we compare the two designs in terms of investment incentives. We review the biases of the Pool capacity payments design, the drought of investment following the introduction of NETA, and the reaction of the market during the first âstress-testâ of NETA during the winter 2003. In an energy-only market such as NETA, it is essential that price signals are right and the system operator has a crucial role in contracting ahead for reserve. We recommend that NETA adopt a single marginal imbalance price as dual imbalance pricing distorts price signals in times of scarcity. The lack of long-term contracting that causes hedging and financing difficulties for power projects can becompensated by vertical and horizontal reintegration at a cost of increased market power
Financing arrangements and industrial organisation for new nuclear build in electricity markets
National audienc
Nuclear Power: a Hedge against Uncertain Gas and Carbon Prices?
High fossil fuel prices have rekindled interest in nuclear power. This paper identifies specific nuclear characteristics making it unattractive to merchant generators in liberalised electricity markets, and argues that non-fossil fuel technologies have an overlooked Ă Ă¹à à à à option valueĂ Ă¹à à à à given fuel and carbon price uncertainty. Stochastic optimisation estimates the company option value of keeping open the choice between nuclear and gas technologies. This option value decreases sharply as the correlation between electricity, gas, and carbon prices rises, casting doubt on whether private investorsĂ Ă¹à à à à fuel-mix diversification incentives in electricity markets are aligned with the social value of a diverse fuel-mix
LSA silicon material task closed-cycle process development
The initial effort on feasibility of the closed cycle process was begun with the design of the two major items of untested equipment, the silicon tetrachloride by product converter and the rotary drum reactor for deposition of silicon from trichlorosilane. The design criteria of the initial laboratory equipment included consideration of the reaction chemistry, thermodynamics, and other technical factors. Design and construction of the laboratory equipment was completed. Preliminary silicon tetrachloride conversion experiments confirmed the expected high yield of trichlorosilane, up to 98 percent of theoretical conversion. A preliminary solar-grade polysilicon cost estimate, including capital costs considered extremely conservative, of $6.91/kg supports the potential of this approach to achieve the cost goal. The closed cycle process appears to have a very likely potential to achieve LSA goals
Solar System: Sifting through the debris
A quadrillion previously unnoticed small bodies beyond Neptune have been
spotted as they dimmed X-rays from a distant source. Models of the dynamics of
debris in the Solar System's suburbs must now be reworked.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure; Nature News and Views on Chang et al. 2006,
Nature, 442, 660-66
- âŠ