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energy economics

Market designs for Tres Amigas: How about trilateral market coupling?

October 21, 2009 by Michael Giberson
with 254 views
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More thoughts on economic issues related to the Tres Amigas project, an ambitious proposal to connect the Western, Eastern, and Texas electric grids via a three-way high tech transmission link located in eastern New Mexico. (Earlier: Tres Amigas intro and Economics for …). Europeans have had several years of experience connecting... [read more]

The future of natural gas prices: a view from October 2009

October 7, 2009 by Michael Giberson
with 280 views
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A short Associated Press item from last week provides a perfect illustration of the near-meaninglessness of the daily post-market story interpreting price moments. Natural gas prices tumbled yesterday after the government reported the United States is using so little that it has more in storage now than at any other time on record. The... [read more]

The Rebound Effect and the Backfire Hypothesis

September 18, 2009 by Charles Barton
with 413 views
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Energy writers who are in the green camp, continue to tout their belief in energy efficiency as a major tool in the effort to mitigate global warming. Nuclear critics like Amory Lovins have argued that efficiency produced "negawatts" make nuclear generated megawatts unneeded. Critics of the negawatts approach have noted that... [read more]

Overproducing US Oil?

September 17, 2009 by Geoffrey Styles
with 114 views
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Tuesday morning I dialed into an API media teleconference concerning the administration's latest proposals on energy taxation and access. During the call API's President, Jack Gerard, mentioned the recent Congressional testimony of a Treasury Dept. official who suggested that current policies were promoting "overproduction of US oil... [read more]

Brazil Flexing Its Muscles

September 16, 2009 by Robert Rapier
with 155 views
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A couple of years ago I was thinking about the possible fates of various nations in a world in which depleting oil reserves begin to have a very strong impact on oil prices. I had visions of $100+ oil and eventually $5-10 gasoline, which would place a crushing burden on the U.S. economy.Of course higher prices will motivate people to... [read more]

Another reason why retail regulation is obsolete: atrocious incentives

September 8, 2009 by Lynne Kiesling
with 175 views
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While I am musing on the problems with the traditional regulatory model in electricity, as in my prior renewables feed-in reverse auction post, I am going to pile on (yes, it is like shooting fish in a barrel, but it’s the first day after a long holiday weekend, so cut me some slack, OK?). I was simultaneously excited and appalled on... [read more]