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Making Energy Markets

The Origins of Electricity Liberalisation in Europe

Palgrave Macmillan

Authors:

  • An accessible overview of the origins of electricity markets from a social science perspective

  • Takes an interdisciplinary approach including examples from a number of European contexts

  • An invaluable resource for researchers and policy analysts interested in the reform of electricity markets

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Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiii
  2. Introduction: Making Energy Markets

    • Ronan Bolton
    Pages 1-12
  3. Part I

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 13-13
    2. Inventing Competition

      • Ronan Bolton
      Pages 15-54
    3. Trade-Offs: Competition or Cash?

      • Ronan Bolton
      Pages 55-96
    4. Competition: A Work in Progress

      • Ronan Bolton
      Pages 97-126
  4. Part II

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 127-127
    2. Europe: The Economic Logics of Trade

      • Ronan Bolton
      Pages 129-151
    3. The Political Market

      • Ronan Bolton
      Pages 185-218
  5. Part III

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 219-219
    2. Power Exchange: Norwegian Origins

      • Ronan Bolton
      Pages 221-245
    3. Constructing a Multinational Market

      • Ronan Bolton
      Pages 247-278
    4. Conclusion: Remaking Markets

      • Ronan Bolton
      Pages 279-290
  6. Back Matter

    Pages 291-360

About this book

Making Energy Markets charts the emergence and early evolution of electricity markets in western Europe, covering the decade from the late 1980s to the late 1990s. Liberalising electricity marked a radical deviation from the established paradigm of state-controlled electricity systems which had become established across Europe after the Second World War. By studying early liberalisation processes in Britain and the Nordic region, and analysing the role of the EEC, the book shows that the creation of electricity markets involved political decisions about the feasibility and desirability of introducing competition into electricity supply industries. Competition introduced risks, so in designing the process politicians needed to evaluate who the likely winners and losers might be and the degree to which competition would impact key national industries reliant on cross-subsidies from the electricity sector, in particular coal mining, nuclear power and energy intensive production. The book discusses how an understanding of the origins of electricity markets and their political character can inform contemporary debates about renewables and low carbon energy transitions. 


Keywords

  • electricity markets
  • energy transition
  • UK energy policy
  • European Energy Policy
  • History of Energy
  • Liberalisation
  • National Electricity Regimes
  • energy policy
  • electricity liberalisation

Reviews

“This book is therefore neither a history of technology work nor even a history of energy. However, Bolton succeeds in making understandable a particular period, that of the incomplete transformation of the electrical sys­tems inherited from the second Industrial Revolution into the fundamental infrastructures of energy transitions.” (Yves Bouvier, Technology and Culture, Vol. 64 (2), April, 2023)

Authors and Affiliations

  • School of Social & Political Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Ronan Bolton

About the author

Ronan Bolton is an interdisciplinary energy researcher with a background in mechanical engineering and environmental social science. His work examines the interconnected policy, market and regulatory challenges of transforming carbon based energy systems. His particular research interests are focused in the areas of energy network regulation and system integration, along with the the history and development of liberalisation processes in the energy sector. 


Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access