Electricity Research Programme

The Electricity Research Programme focuses on fundamental issues including re-design of electricity markets to integrate zero marginal cost renewables, regulation of electricity networks to accommodate variable supply/demand and incentivizing efficient investment and identifying conditions for efficient growth of distributed energy resources (DERs), activating demand side flexibility and consumer participation in the electricity market.

Research is broadly categorised into three main themes:

 

Electricity Market Design

  • The role of electricity markets and marginal pricing
  • Resource adequacy and investment in low carbon generation
  • Investment in flexible generation
  • Ensuring availability of key system services (e.g., inertia) to maintain operational security of the power system
  • Spatial and temporal differentiation of electricity prices
  • Addressing electricity prices volatility

Electricity Networks

  • Transmission network investment
  • Rethinking grid access and network capacity allocation regimes
  • Incentivizing non-wire solutions as alternative to distribution grid capacity reinforcement
  • Coordination framework between transmission and distribution
  • Reconciling decentralization paradigm with traditional centralized bulk power system

DERs, Demand Side Flexibility and Consumer Participation

  • Removing barriers to efficient growth of DERs
  • Enabling participation of demand side flexibility in the electricity market
  • Rethinking retail electricity market design

The Programme welcomes expressions of research interest from academics, researchers and experts; please write to Rahmat Poudineh for further information.

The Programme organises a series of high-level events and  meetings every year to discuss its research in relation to topical policy issues. For information on these and on joining the Programme’s group of Sponsors, please contact Rahmat Poudineh.

The Programme is grateful to its existing Sponsors for their support, without which its research would not be possible.

Programme Sponsors

Cheniere
ConocoPhillips
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, UK (DESNZ)
Enel Foundation
Eni
Equinor
Iberdrola
Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (Norway)
National Grid
Ofgem
RWE
Shell
SNAM
Swedish Energy Agency
Tellurian
Vitol

Latest Publications from the Electricity Research Programme

Latest Ongoing Research from the Electricity Research Programme

  • TSO-DSO coordination schemes to leverage distributed energy resources

    Energy systems are undergoing radical changes as part of their modernisation process worldwide. For instance, the increased levels of penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs) such as distributed generation, electric vehicles, demand response and storage devices transform distribution systems from energy supply to energy production/supply points and pave the way to a more decentralised power […]

    By: Dimitra Apostolopoulou Rahmat Poudineh

  • Energy Communities

    This report introduces European legislation on energy communities and then analyzes Spain’s progress in implementing the legislation.  Following the introduction, the report offers an economic framework for assessing the degree to which national legislation on energy communities aligns the incentives of the energy community with the interests of the electricity system and all consumers. In […]

    By: David Robinson

  • Intermittent Renewables and Demand-Side Flexibility

    This paper focuses on the need to develop Demand-Side Flexibility (DSF) to support the penetration of wind and solar power. This need reflects the intermittency of these renewable energy sources and the fact that they displace firm and flexible power sources in the merit order. Fortunately, the development of digitalized distributed energy resources between consumers’ […]

    By: David Robinson