Skip to main content

Electricity Market Pricing: Uniform Pricing vs. Pay-as-Bid Pricing

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Electricity Markets

Abstract

Selecting proper pricing rule is essential for the efficient operation of power markets. There are two main pricing rules in the existing power markets, namely uniform pricing (UP) and pay-as-bid (PAB) pricing. Among auction theorists, it is an unsolved question whether uniform pricing is superior to pay-as-bid pricing or the opposite. In this chapter, the aim is not to test various market benchmarks to answer the mentioned question; instead, the existing works relating introducing of and comparison between UP and PAB pricing schemes are reviewed, and the answer of the question is prescribed from each literature’s perspective.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
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

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. L. Maurer, L. Barroso, Electricity Auctions: An Overview of Efficient Practices (The World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  2. M. Shahidehpour, H. Yamin, Z. Li, Market Operations in Electric Power Systems: Forecasting, Scheduling, and Risk Management (John Wiley & Sons, 2003)

    Google Scholar 

  3. P. Bajpai, S.N. Singh, Bidding and Gaming in Electricity Market: An Overview and Key Issues, in Proceedings of National Power System Conference (NPSC), Chennai (2004), pp. 338–346

    Google Scholar 

  4. A.K. David, F. Wen, Market power in electricity supply. IEEE Trans. Energy Convers. 16(4), 352–360 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. A.F. Rahimi, A.Y. Sheffrin, Deregulated electricity markets. IEEE Trans. Power Syst. 18, 486 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. S. Heim, G. Götz, Do Pay-as-Bid Auctions Favor Collusion? Evidence from Germany's Market for Reserve Power (2013). ZEW - Centre for European Economic Research Discussion Paper No. 35. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2278873 or https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2278873

  7. A. Nazemi, A. Farsaei, S. Khalil Moghaddam, Estimating market power by introducing a new Lerner index in the Iranian electricity market. Energy Sources Part B Econ. Plan. Policy 11, 882 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. D. Fang, J. Wu, Optimal pricing mechanism for generators and large consumers considering power transmission cost, in Asia-Pacific Power and Energy Engineering Conference, APPEEC (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  9. L.F. Sugianto, K.Z. Liao, Comparison of different auction pricing rules in the electricity market. Mod. Appl. Sci. 8 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  10. L.M. Ausubel, P. Milgrom, The lovely but lonely Vickrey auction” in Combinatorial Auctions (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  11. M.H. Rothkopf, Thirteen reasons why the Vickrey-Clarke-groves process is not practical. Oper. Res. 55(2), 191–197 (2007)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  12. W. Vickrey, COUNTERSPECULATION, auctions, and competitive sealed tenders. J. Finance 16, 8 (1961)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  13. M. Friedman, A program for monetary stability. NY: Fordham University Press, 63–65 (1960)

    Google Scholar 

  14. A. Ockenfels, V. Grimm, G. Zoettl, The Pricing Mechanism of the Day Ahead Electricity Spot Market Auction on the EEX, European Energy Exchange EEX (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  15. M. Morey, Power Market Auction Design: Rules and Lessons in Market Based Control for the New Electricity Industry, Prep. Edison Electr. Inst. (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  16. J. Lin, F. H. Magnago, Electricity Markets, Theories and Applications. John Wiley & Sons, (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  17. R. Ethier, R. Zimmerman, T. Mount, W. Schulze, R. Thomas, A uniform price auction with locational price adjustments for competitive electricity markets. Int. J. Electr. Power Energy Syst. 21, 103 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. A. Nazemi, M. Mashayekhi, Competitiveness assessment of Iran’s restructured electricity market. Energy Econ. 49, 308 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. D.J. Swider, C. Weber, Bidding under price uncertainty in multi-unit pay-as-bid procurement auctions for power systems reserve. Eur. J. Oper. Res. 181, 1297 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. J.P. Pfeifenberger, R. Lueken, K. Spees, L. Mwalenga, Uniform Price vs. Differentiated Payment Auctions, a Discussion of Advantages and Disadvantages, June 2017. Website: www.ieso.ca/-/media/Files/IESO/Document-Library/engage/ica/ICA-20170615-Brattle-Uniform-Price-Auctions.pdf?la=en

  21. G. Shuttleworth, I. MCKENZIE, A Comparative Study of the Electricity Markets in UK, Spain and Nord Pool, Report Prepared by NERA Confin. Rome (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  22. N. Fabra, N.H. Von Der Fehr, D. Harbord, Modeling electricity auctions. Electr. J. 15, 72 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. J. Viehmann, S. Lorenczik, R. Malischek, Multi-Unit Multiple Bid Auctions in Balancing Markets: An Agent-Based Q-Learning Approach, Energiewirtschaftliches Institut an der Universitaet zu Koeln (EWI) (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  24. E. Maghool, A. Naghavi, S.F. Ghaderi, Estimating cost function in power markets under pay-as-bid pricing rules using observed bid data, in 2008 IEEE Electrical Power and Energy Conference - Energy Innovation (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  25. J. Sadeh, H.R. Mashhadi, M.A. Latifi, A risk-based approach for bidding strategy in an electricity pay-as-bid auction. Eur. T. Electr. Power 19, 39 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. F. Stacke, P. Cuervo, A combined pool/bilateral/reserve electricity market operating under pay-as-bid pricing. IEEE Trans. Power Syst. 23, 1601 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. CEER report on tendering procedures for RES in Europe - ceer.eu. [Online], Available: https://www.ceer.eu/ceer-tendering-procedure?inheritRedirect=true, Accessed 18 May 2019

  28. N. Mazzi, J. Kazempour, P. Pinson, Price-taker offering strategy in electricity pay-as-bid markets. IEEE Trans. Power Syst. 33, 2175 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. D. Aussel, P. Bendotti, M. Pištěk, Nash equilibrium in a pay-as-bid electricity market: part 1–existence and characterization. Optimization (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  30. D. Aussel, P. Bendotti, M. Pištěk, Nash equilibrium in a pay-as-bid electricity market part 2 - best response of a producer. Optimization (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  31. F. Müsgens, A. Ockenfels, M. Peek, Economics and design of balancing power markets in Germany. Int. J. Electr. Power Energy Syst. 55, 392 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. J. Hu, R. Harmsen, W. Crijns-Graus, E. Worrell, M. van den Broek, Identifying barriers to large-scale integration of variable renewable electricity into the electricity market: a literature review of market design. Renew. Sust. Energ. Rev. 81, 2181 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. F. Ocker, K.M. Ehrhart, M. Belica, Harmonization of the European balancing power auction: a game-theoretical and empirical investigation. Energy Econ. 73, 194 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. C.D. Wolfram, Strategic bidding in a multiunit auction: An empirical analysis of bids to supply electricity in England and Wales. Rand J. Econ., 703–725 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. P. Hästö, P. Holmberg, Some inequalities related to the analysis of electricity auctions. Appl. Math. Lett. 19, 814 (2006)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  36. P. Klemperer, What really matters in auction design. J. Econ. Perspect. 16(1), 169–189 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. C. Vázquez, M. Rivier, I.J. Pérez-Arriaga, On the use of pay-as-bid auctions in California, some criticisms and an alternative proposal, Inst. Investig. Tecnológica, Tech. Rep. IIT-00-077A (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  38. F.P. Sioshansi, Competitive Electricity Markets: Design, Implementation, Performance (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2011)

    Google Scholar 

  39. M. Pycia, K. Woodward, Pay-as-bid: Selling divisible goods, Available SSRN 2417512 (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  40. S. Oren, When is a pay-as bid preferable to uniform price in electricity markets, in IEEE PES Power Systems Conference and Exposition, 2004., Pp. 1618–1620. IEEE, (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  41. N. Fabra, N.H. Von Der Fehr, D. Harbord, Designing electricity auctions. RAND J. Econ. 37, 23 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Y. Yamamoto, T. Tezuka, A large generator’s bids in an electricity supply auction: uniform pricing versus pay-as-bid pricing, in Electr. Eng. Japan (English Transl. Denki Gakkai Ronbunshi), vol. 160, (2007), p. 41

    Google Scholar 

  43. A.E. Kahn, P.C. Cramton, R.H. Porter, R.D. Tabors, Uniform pricing or pay-as-bid pricing: A dilemma for California and beyond. Electr. J. 14(6), 70–79 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. G. Federico, D. Rahman, Bidding in an electricity pay-as-bid auction. J. Regul. Econ. 24, 175 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. H. Chen, Experimental Analysis of Uniform Price and PAB Auctions in Electricity Markets, in 2007 International Power Engineering Conference (IPEC 2007) (2007), pp. 24–29

    Google Scholar 

  46. N. Amjady, A. Rabiee, H.A. Shayanfar, Pay-as-bid based reactive power market. Energy Convers. Manag. 51, 376 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. S. Nielsen, P. Sorknæs, P.A. Østergaard, Electricity market auction settings in a future Danish electricity system with a high penetration of renewable energy sources - a comparison of marginal pricing and pay-as-bid. Energy 36, 4434 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. M.H. Bashi, G. Yousefi, H. Gharagozloo, H. Khazraj, C.L. Bak, F.F. Silva, A Comparative Study on the Bidding Behaviour of Pay as Bid and Uniform Price Electricity Market Players, in Proceedings - 2018 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2018 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe, EEEIC/I and CPS Europe 2018 (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  49. M.H. Bashi, G. Yousefi, C.L. Bak, J.R. Pillai, Long term expected revenue of wind farms considering the bidding admission uncertainty. Energies (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  50. M. Mohammadi, GA-based optimal sizing of PV under pay as bid and uniform power market pricing considering uncertainty of solar radiation, Teh. Vjesn. (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  51. E. Guerci, M.A. Rastegar, Comparing system-marginal-price versus pay-as-bid auctions in a realistic electricity market scenario, in Managing Market Complexity, (Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2012), pp. 141–153

    Google Scholar 

  52. Y. Ren, F.D. Galiana, Pay-as-bid versus marginal pricing - part I: strategic generator offers, IEEE Trans. Power Syst. (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  53. Y.U. Ren, F.D. Galiana, Pay-as-bid versus marginal pricing - part II: Market behavior under strategic generator offers, IEEE Trans. Power Syst. (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  54. G. Xiong, S. Okuma, H. Fujita, Multi-agent based experiments on uniform price and pay-as-bid electricity auction markets, in 2004 IEEE International Conference on Electric Utility Deregulation, Restructuring and Power Technologies. Proceedings, Vol. 1, pp. 72–76. IEEE, (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  55. Y.S. Son, R. Baldick, K.H. Lee, S. Siddiqi, Short-term electricity market auction game analysis: Uniform and pay-as-bid pricing. IEEE Trans. Power Syst. 19, 1990 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  56. C.C. Skoulidas, C.D. Vournas, G.P. Papavassilopoulos, An Adaptive Game for Pay-as-Bid and Uniform Pricing Power Pools Comparison, in Athens, the 3rd Mediterranean Conference and Exhibition on Power Generation, Transmission T Distribution and Energy Conversion (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  57. P. Holmberg, Supply function equilibria of pay-as-bid auctions. J. Regul. Econ. 36, 154 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  58. T.S. Genc, Discriminatory versus uniform-price electricity auctions with supply function equilibrium. J. Optim. Theory Appl. 140(1), 9–31 (2009)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  59. N. Fabra, N.-H. Von Der Fehr, D. Harbord, Designing Electricity Auctions: Uniform, Discriminatory and Vickrey,” in First Conference on Wholesale Markets for Electricity (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  60. R. Moreno, B. Bezerra, L. A. Barroso, S. Mocarquer, H. Rudnick, Auctioning Adequacy in South America Through Long-Term Contracts and Options: From Classic Pay-as-Bid to Multi-Item Dynamic Auctions, in 2009 IEEE Power and Energy Society General Meeting, PES ’09 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alireza Akbari-Dibavar .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Akbari-Dibavar, A., Mohammadi-Ivatloo, B., Zare, K. (2020). Electricity Market Pricing: Uniform Pricing vs. Pay-as-Bid Pricing. In: Nojavan, S., Zare, K. (eds) Electricity Markets. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36979-8_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36979-8_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-36978-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-36979-8

  • eBook Packages: EnergyEnergy (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics