Case study; Demand flexibility; Electricity pricing; Market design; Nodal pricing; Renewable energy sources; Case-studies; Electricity prices; Load shifting; Renewable energy source; Temporal coupling; Temporal loads; Energy (all); Strategy and Management; General Energy
Abstract :
[en] Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine how active consumers, i.e. consumers that can inter-temporally shift their load, can influence electricity prices. As demonstrated in this paper, inter-temporal load shifting can induce negative electricity prices, a recurring phenomenon on power exchanges. Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents a novel electricity-market model assuming a nodal-pricing, energy-only spot market with active consumers. This study formulates an economic equilibrium problem as a linear program and uses an established six-node case study to compare equilibrium prices of a model with inflexible demand to a model with flexible demand of active consumers. Findings: This study illustrates that temporal coupling of hourly market clearing through load shifting of active consumers can cause negative electricity prices that are not observed in a model with ceteris paribus inflexible demand. In such situations, where compared to the case of inflexible demand more flexibility is available in the system, negative electricity prices signal lower total system costs. These negative prices result from the use of demand flexibility, which, however, cannot be fully exploited due to limited transmission capacities, respectively, loop-flow restrictions. Originality/value: Literature indicates that negative electricity prices result from lacking flexibility. The results illustrate that active consumers and their additional flexibility can lead to negative electricity prices in temporally coupled markets, which in general contributes to increased system efficiency as well as increased use of renewable energy sources. These findings extend existing research in both the area of energy flexibility and causes for negative electricity prices. Therefore, policymakers should be aware of such (temporal coupling) effects and, e.g. continue to allow negative electricity prices in the future that can serve as investment signals for active consumers.
Research center :
Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT) > FINATRAX - Digital Financial Services and Cross-organizational Digital Transformations
Disciplines :
Management information systems Computer science
Author, co-author :
Halbrügge, Stephanie; FIM Research Center, Project Group Business and Information Systems Engineering of the Fraunhofer FIT, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
Heess, Paula; FIM Research Center, Project Group Business and Information Systems Engineering of the Fraunhofer FIT, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
Schott, Paul; FIM Research Center, Project Group Business and Information Systems Engineering of the Fraunhofer FIT, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
WEIBELZAHL, Martin ✱; University of Luxembourg > Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SNT) > FINATRAX ; FIM Research Center, Project Group Business and Information Systems Engineering of the Fraunhofer FIT, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
✱ These authors have contributed equally to this work.
External co-authors :
yes
Language :
English
Title :
Negative electricity prices as a signal for lacking flexibility? On the effects of demand flexibility on electricity prices
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Kopernikus-Project “SynErgie” by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF) and the project supervision by the project management organization Projektträger Jülich (PtJ).
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