706 research outputs found
Mechanisms of Funding for Universal Service Obligations: the Electricity Case
The transition towards a more competitive regime in network industries (and specially in electricity sector) raises the relevant question of funding for the Universal Service Obligations (USOs). Our paper focuses on two ways of funding for universal service and equal treatment obligations (Ubiquity and Non Discrimination constraints): the funding through access charge (CS regime) or taxation (T regime). Using a network model including competition between an historical monopoly (in charge for the USOs) and an entrant, we obtain some results concerning gains and losses of social welfare due to those mechanisms. We show that most of the time it is socially better to let the historical monopoly be active whatever the type of funding for USOs applying, and whatever profitability of the firms is. However, when the entrant is active, we can highlight that the introduction of the T regime (compared to the CS one) implies either welfare deterioration or an entry prevention strategy by the historical Ăžrm. Therefore, the T regime could not be an argument for the regulator to promote vertical separation of the historical firm (according to the European community line).ELECTRICITY SECTOR; NETWORKS; REGULATION; UNIVERSAL SERVICE
Funding for Universal Service Obligations in Electricity Sector : the case of green power development
The process of deregulation in network industries, in particular in the electric sector, raises the problem of Ăžnancing the Universal Service Obligations (USO) corresponding to the production, transport and distribution operations. In this paper, we study three ways of funding for an USO of production, especially the "green" electricity development: the Ăžnancing with cross-subsidies, the implementation of a fund (financing by a tax) and finally a voluntary funding system by direct subscriptions of consumers. We notably show that this last one Pareto dominates mostly, from a welfare point of view, the other scenarios.ELECTRICITY ; ENVIRONMENT ; REGULATION ; NETWORK ; UNIVERSAL SERVICE,
Funding Universal Service Obligations with an Essential Facility: Charges vs. Taxes and Subsidies
This paper compares three schemes for funding Universal Service Obligations in network industries with an essential facility: an uplift to the network access charge, the establishment of a Universal Service (US) fund financed through a lump-sum tax and a US fund financed through a unit tax. The comparison is made under a duopoly structure with a potential entrant and an incumbent, which owns the essential facility and is responsible for universal service. The incumbent is also constrained to offer the same price on all markets. Using a social welfare criteria, we show that the US fund financed with a lump sum tax dominates the other two schemes, while the US fund with unit tax is equivalent to the access charge uplift.UNIVERSAL SERVICE OBLIGATIONS; ACCESS CHARGES; REGULATION
The Physics of Disk Winds, Jets,and X-ray Variability in GRS 1915+105
We present new insights about accretion and ejection physics based on joint
RXTE/Chandra HETGS studies of rapid X-ray variability in GRS 1915+105. For the
first time, with fast phase-resolved spectroscopy of the rho state, we are able
to show that changes in the broadband X-ray spectrum (RXTE) on timescales of
seconds are associated with measurable changes in absorption lines (Chandra
HETGS) from the accretion disk wind. Additionally, we make a direct detection
of material evaporating from the radiation-pressure-dominated inner disk. Our
X-ray data thus reveal the black hole as it ejects a portion of the inner
accretion flow and then drives a wind from the outer disk, all in a bizarre
cycle that lasts fewer than 60 seconds but can repeat for weeks. We find that
the accretion disk wind may be sufficiently massive to play an active role in
GRS 1915+105, not only in quenching the jet on long timescales, but also in
possibly producing or facilitating transitions between classes of X-ray
variability.Comment: 3 pages, 1 Figure. Proceedings of IAU Symposium 275 (Jets at all
Scales), Buenos Aires, 13-17.09.2010; eds. G. Romero, R. Sunyaev, T. Bellon
What Fraction of the Young Clusters in the Antennae Galaxies are "Missing"?
A reexamination of the correspondence between 6 cm radio continuum sources
and young star clusters in the Antennae galaxies indicates that 85 % of the
strong thermal sources have optical counterparts, once the optical image is
shifted 1.2 arcsec to the southwest. A sample of 37 radio-optical matches are
studied in detail showing correlations between radio properties and a variety
of optical characteristics. There is a strong correlation between the radio
flux and the intrinsic optical brightness. In particular, the brightest radio
source is also the intrinsically brightest optical cluster (WS80). It is also
the most extincted cluster in the sample, the strongest CO source and the
strongest 15 micron source . Furthermore, the brightest ten radio sources are
all amongst the youngest clusters with ages in the range 0 - 4 Myr and
extinctions from A_V = 0.5 to 7.6 mag (with a median value of 2.6 mag). Only a
few of the very red clusters originally discovered by Whitmore & Schweizer are
radio sources, contrary to earlier suggestions. Finally, a new hybrid method of
determining cluster ages has been developed using both UBVI colors and H_alpha
equivalent widths to break the age-reddening degeneracy.Comment: 51 pages, 13 postscript figures, LaTex. To appear in the Astronomical
Journal, 124, 2002, Septembe
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