The Economic and Social Regulation of Public Utilities

The Economic and Social Regulation of Public Utilities
Author: Judith Clifton
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2014-06-11
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317981618

Utilities have long been essential for societies, supplying basic services for nations, organizations and households alike. The proper functioning and regulation of utilities is therefore critical for the economy, society and security. History provides an invaluable insight into important issues of the economic and social regulation of utilities and offers guidance for future debates. However, the history of utility regulation – which speaks of changing, diverse and complex experiences around the world – was sidelined or marginalised when economists and policy-makers enthusiastically embraced the question of how to reform the utilities from the 1970s. This book examines in depth the complex regulation and deregulation of energy, communications, transportation and water utilities across Western Europe, the United States, Australia, Brazil, China and India. In each case, attention is drawn to the changing roles of the state, the market and firms in the regulation, organization and delivery of utility services. This book was originally published as a special issue of Business History.

The Theory of Public Utility Pricing

The Theory of Public Utility Pricing
Author: Stephen J. Brown
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 272
Release: 1986-02-28
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780521314008

Debate about deregulation has focused considerable attention on the pricing policies of public utilities. Much work has been done by economists on this subject, and in this book the results of that research are presented and made accessible to students of economics. The main subject is the policy to be followed by a regulated monopoly, but the analysis is broadened to take account of a fringe of competitive suppliers, making it relevant to electric utilities and local telephone companies in the US, to PTT's in Europe, to the possible privatisatibn of telecommunications in Australia, and to the telecommunications structure in the UK where the dominant supplier has recently been privatised. The book gives a unified and simplified exposition of the modern theory of efficient pricing which is not available elsewhere. The theoretical discussion is supplemented by numerical simulation comparing Fully Distributed Cost Pricing, Ramsey Pricing, and Optimal Non-uniform Pricing.

Selling Power

Selling Power
Author: John L. Neufeld
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 343
Release: 2016-11-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 022639963X

The economics of electric utilities -- Early commercialization -- The first electric utilities -- The adoption of state commission rate regulation -- Growth and growing pains -- Public utility holding companies: opportunity and crisis -- Public utility holding companies: indictment and "death sentence"--Hydroelectricity and the federal government -- Rural electrification -- Conclusion and a look forward from 1940

Public Utilities, Second Edition

Public Utilities, Second Edition
Author: David E. McNabb
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 513
Release: 2016-10-28
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1785365533

A thoroughly updated introduction to the current issues and challenges facing managers and administrators in the investor and publicly owned utility industry, this engaging volume addresses management concerns in five sectors of the utility industry: electric power, natural gas, water, wastewater systems and public transit.

Why Regulate Utilities?

Why Regulate Utilities?
Author: Werner Troesken
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Total Pages: 156
Release: 1996
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780472107391

A coherent argument in favor of regulating utilities

The Economics of Electricity Markets

The Economics of Electricity Markets
Author: Darryl R. Biggar
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 493
Release: 2014-07-10
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1118775724

Bridges the knowledge gap between engineering and economics in a complex and evolving deregulated electricity industry, enabling readers to understand, operate, plan and design a modern power system With an accessible and progressive style written in straight-forward language, this book covers everything an engineer or economist needs to know to understand, operate within, plan and design an effective liberalized electricity industry, thus serving as both a useful teaching text and a valuable reference. The book focuses on principles and theory which are independent of any one market design. It outlines where the theory is not implemented in practice, perhaps due to other over-riding concerns. The book covers the basic modelling of electricity markets, including the impact of uncertainty (an integral part of generation investment decisions and transmission cost-benefit analysis). It draws out the parallels to the Nordpool market (an important point of reference for Europe). Written from the perspective of the policy-maker, the first part provides the introductory background knowledge required. This includes an understanding of basic economics concepts such as supply and demand, monopoly, market power and marginal cost. The second part of the book asks how a set of generation, load, and transmission resources should be efficiently operated, and the third part focuses on the generation investment decision. Part 4 addresses the question of the management of risk and Part 5 discusses the question of market power. Any power system must be operated at all times in a manner which can accommodate the next potential contingency. This demands responses by generators and loads on a very short timeframe. Part 6 of the book addresses the question of dispatch in the very short run, introducing the distinction between preventive and corrective actions and why preventive actions are sometimes required. The seventh part deals with pricing issues that arise under a regionally-priced market, such as the Australian NEM. This section introduces the notion of regions and interconnectors and how to formulate constraints for the correct pricing outcomes (the issue of "constraint orientation"). Part 8 addresses the fundamental and difficult issue of efficient transmission investment, and finally Part 9 covers issues that arise in the retail market. Bridges the gap between engineering and economics in electricity, covering both the economics and engineering knowledge needed to accurately understand, plan and develop the electricity market Comprehensive coverage of all the key topics in the economics of electricity markets Covers the latest research and policy issues as well as description of the fundamental concepts and principles that can be applied across all markets globally Numerous worked examples and end-of-chapter problems Companion website holding solutions to problems set out in the book, also the relevant simulation (GAMS) codes

Regulating Mergers and Acquisitions of U.S. Electric Utilities: Industry Concentration and Corporate Complication

Regulating Mergers and Acquisitions of U.S. Electric Utilities: Industry Concentration and Corporate Complication
Author: Scott Hempling
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 576
Release: 2020-10-30
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1839109467

What happens when electric utility monopolies pursue their acquisition interests—undisciplined by competition, and insufficiently disciplined by the regulators responsible for replicating competition? Since the mid-1980s, mergers and acquisitions of U.S. electric utilities have halved the number of local, independent utilities. Mostly debt-financed, these transactions have converted retiree-suitable investments into subsidiaries of geographically scattered conglomerates. Written by one of the U.S.’s leading regulatory thinkers, this book combines legal, accounting, economic and financial analysis of the 30-year march of U.S. electricity mergers with insights from the dynamic field of behavioral economics.