The objective of this research is to develop a unified approach to measuring market power that connects short-term and long-term analysis, while maintaining strong economic foundations and incorporating the transmission system. The approach is to focus first on long-term analysis to develop a rigorous framework on which to build tools for short-term analysis. This combined approach will allow quantification of both the potential for and the exploitation of market power in deregulated electricity markets.
Intellectual merit: This project explores a unique mixture of economics and power systems by building a unifying and comprehensive foundation for measuring market power. It will close the gap in the existing fractured literature on long-term and short-term market power analysis and has the added benefit of providing an important tool for studying the impact on market power of future grid phenomena such as demand response, renewable and distributed generation, and electricity storage.
Broader impact: Market monitoring is essential for maintaining efficient electricity markets: not only is market power a major challenge to the efficiency of today's electricity markets, e.g., the California energy crisis of 2000; the importance of monitoring market power will only grow as we move toward a smarter grid. Thus, an improved understanding of how to identify and quantify market power is of crucial societal importance. Additionally, the proposed research will improve dialogue between the power systems and economics communities. Finally, the proposed research program has a strong potential to successfully make the leap from academia to practice.
