Abstract
European electricity markets are coping with low energy prices as a result of overinvestments in generation capacity, subsidies for renewables and the financial crisis of 2008. In this chapter we explore the implications of low electricity prices on the Swiss electricity market, which is facing the additional challenge of phasing out nuclear power plants and market liberalization. System Dynamics is utilized to model and simulate the long-term impacts on investments in new generation capacity, security of supply and future electricity prices. Simulation results indicate that the current low electricity prices are likely to persist for another decade. The most likely response to the low prices is an underinvestment in generation capacity, with the risk of scarcity pricing under low security of supply, as it coincides with the decommissioning of nuclear power plants. There is little evidence this will lead to boom-and-bust investment cycles. Finally, in the long-term we observe a shift towards renewable energy sources and natural gas fired power plants, resulting in more volatile electricity prices. These findings are similar to earlier studies of the liberalized German and Belgian electricity markets, which are also facing the challenges of a nuclear phase-out under depressed European prices.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
A positive link from A to B means that an increase in A leads to an increase in B. A negative link from A to B means that an increase in A leads to a decrease in B.
- 2.
Reinforcing loops are positive feedback loops which further increase a positive or negative change in the system. Reinforcing loops can be utilized in policy design to destabilize the system. Balancing loops have a damping effect on positive or negative changes in the system and typically stabilize the system.
- 3.
- 4.
- 5.
- 6.
- 7.
- 8.
- 9.
- 10.
- 11.
This is not physical scarcity, but scarcity in the sense that other generation options and imports cannot satisfy demand if dam and pumped hydro are not dispatched. In such situations hydro operators could set monopolistic prices.
References
Andersson G, Boulouchos K, Bretschger L (2011) Energiezukunft Schweiz. Zürich
Barmettler F, Beglinger N, Zeyer C (2013) Cleantech Energiestrategie: Richtig rechnen und wirtschaftlich profitieren, auf CO2-Zielkurs. Bern
Betz R, Cludius J, Riesz J (2015) Capacity remuneration mechanisms: overview, implementation in selected European jurisdictions, and implications for Switzerland. Wintherthur
Bunn DW, Larsen ER (1992) Sensitivity of reserve margin to factors influencing investment behaviour in the electricity market of England and Wales. Energy Policy 20:420–429
Cepeda M, Finon D (2013) How to correct for long-term externalities of large-scale wind power development by a capacity mechanism? Energy Policy 61:671–685
Chappin ÉJL (2011) Simulating energy transitions. Delft University of Technology
De Vries LJ (2007) Generation adequacy: helping the market do its job. Util Policy 15:20–35
De Vries LJ, Heijnen P (2008) The impact of electricity market design upon investment under uncertainty: the effectiveness of capacity mechanisms. Util Policy 16:215–227
Densing M (2013) Price-driven hydropower dispatch under uncertainty. In: Kovacevic RM, Pflug GC, Vespucci MT (eds) Handbook of risk management in energy production and trading. Springer, New York, pp 73–104
Densing M, Panos E, Hirschberg S (2016) Meta-analysis of energy scenario studies: example of electricity scenarios for Switzerland. Energy 109:998–1015
ENTSO-E (2014) 10-Year network development plan. Brussels
Filippini M (2011) Short-and long-run time-of-use price elasticities in Swiss residential electricity demand. Energy Policy 39:5811–5817
Finon D, Johnsen TA, Midttun A (2004) Challenges when electricity markets face the investment phase. Energy Policy 32:1355–1362
Ford A (1999) Cycles in competitive electricity markets: a simulation study of the western United States. Energy Policy 27:637–658
Ford A (2001) Waiting for the boom: a simulation study of power plant construction in California. Energy Policy 29:847–869
Gary S, Larsen ER (2000) Improving firm performance in out-of-equilibrium, deregulated markets using feedback simulation models. Energy Policy 28:845–855
Haas R, Lettner G, Auer H, Duic N (2013) The looming revolution: how photovoltaics will change electricity markets in Europe fundamentally. Energy 57:38–43
Hammons TJ, Rudnick H, Barroso LA (2002) Latin America: deregulation in a hydro-dominated market. HRW 10:20–27
Hasani M, Hosseini SH (2011) Dynamic assessment of capacity investment in electricity market considering complementary capacity mechanisms. Energy 36:277–293
Helm D (2002) Energy policy: security of supply, sustainability and competition. Energy Policy 30(3):173–184
Hughes TP (1987) The evolution of large technological systems. In: Bijker WE, Hughes TP, Pinch TJ (eds) The social construction of technological systems: new directions in the sociology and history of technology. MIT Press, Cambridge, pp 51–82
Huld T, Müller R, Gambardella A (2012) A new solar radiation database for estimating PV performance in Europe and Africa. Sol Energy 86:1803–1815
Jäger T, Schmidt S, Karl U (2009) A system dynamics model for the German electricity market–model development and application. In: Proceedings of 27th international conference of the system dynamics society, Albuquerque, NM, pp 26–30
Kadoya T, Sasaki T, Ihara S et al (2005) Utilizing system dynamics modeling to examine impact of deregulation on generation capacity growth. Proc IEEE 93:2060–2069
Kannan R, Turton H (2011) Documentation on the development of the Swiss TIMES Electricity Model (STEM-E)
Kannan R, Turton H (2016) Long term climate change mitigation goals under the nuclear phase out policy: the Swiss energy system transition. Energy Econ 55:211–222
Kunsch PL, Friesewinkel J (2014) Nuclear energy policy in Belgium after Fukushima. Energy Policy 66:462–474
Kunz S, Dällenbach F, Schaffner B, et al (2004) Konzept Windenergie Schweiz – Grundlagen für die Standortwahl von Windparks. Bern
Mitra-Kahn BH (2008) Debunking the myths of computable general equilibrium models. The New School, New York
Ochoa P (2007) Policy changes in the Swiss electricity market: analysis of likely market responses. Socio Econ Plan Sci 41:336–349
Ochoa P, Van Ackere A (2009) Policy changes and the dynamics of capacity expansion in the Swiss electricity market. Energy Policy 37:1983–1998
Olsina F, Garcés F, Haubrich HJ (2006) Modeling long-term dynamics of electricity markets. Energy Policy 34:1411–1433
Osorio S, van Ackere A (2016) From nuclear phase-out to renewable energies in the Swiss electricity market. Energy Policy 93:8–22
Pattupara R, Kannan R (2016) Alternative low-carbon electricity pathways in Switzerland and it’s neighbouring countries under a nuclear phase-out scenario. Appl Energy 172:152–168
Pereira AJ, Saraiva JT (2010) A decision support system for generation expansion planning in competitive electricity markets. Electr Power Syst Res 80:778–787
Pöyry (2012) Angebot und Nachfrage nach flexiblen Erzeugungskapazitäten in der Schweiz
Prognos AG (2012) Die Energieperspektiven für die Schweiz bis 2050. Basel
Pruyt E (2013) Small system dynamics models for big issues: triple jump towards real-world complexity. TU Delft Library, Delft
SFOE (2012) Wasserkraftpotenzial der Schweiz – Abschätzung des Ausbaupotenzials der Wasserkraftnutzung im Rahmen der Energiestrategie 2050
SFOE (2014) Schweizerische Elektrizitätsstatistik 2013. Ittigen
SFOE (2015) Schweizerische Elektrizitätsstatistik 2014. Ittigen
SFOE (2016) Schweizerische Statistik der erneurbaren Energien – Ausgabe 2015. Ittigen
SFOE (2017) Gesamte Erzeugung und Abgabe elektrischer Energie in der Schweiz 2016
Sterman JD (2000) Business dynamics: system thinking and modeling for a complex world. Irwin/McGraw Hill, Boston
Šúri M, Huld TA, Dunlop ED, Ossenbrink HA (2007) Potential of solar electricity generation in the European Union member states and candidate countries. Sol Energy 81:1295–1305
Suryani E, Chou SY, Hartono R, Chen CH (2010) Demand scenario analysis and planned capacity expansion: a system dynamics framework. Simul Model Pract Theory 18:732–751
Swissgrid (2015) Données réseaux 2014
Teske S, Heiligtag GK (2013) [r]evolution: eine nachhaltige energieversorgung für die Schweiz. Zürich
Teufel F, Miller M, Genoese M, Fichtner W (2013) Review of system dynamics models for electricity market simulations. Karlsruhe
Trutnevyte E (2016) Does cost optimization approximate the real-world energy transition? Energy 106:182–193
van Ackere A, Ochoa P (2010) Managing a hydro-energy reservoir: a policy approach. Energy Policy 38:7299–7311
van Baal PA (2016) Business implications of the energy transition in Switzerland. École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Verhoog R (2018) Three methodological contributions towards modelling endogenous policy-emergence in societal transitions. École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Verhoog R, Finger M (2016) Governing energy transitions: transition goals in the swiss energy sector. In: Dorsman A, Arslan-Ayaydin Ö, Karan MB (eds) Energy and finance: sustainability in the energy industry. Springer, New York, pp 107–121
Verhoog R, Ghorbani A, Hardi EE et al (2016) Structuring socio-technical complexity in infrastructure systems: an agent-based model. Int J Complex Appl Sci Technol 1:5–21
Vogstad KO (2005) A system dynamics analysis of the nordic electricity market: the transition from fossil fuelled towards a renewable supply within a liberalised electricity market. Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Vöhringer F (2012) Linking the swiss emissions trading system with the EU ETS: economic effects of regulatory design alternatives. Swiss J Econ Stat 148:167–196
VSE (2012) Scénarios pour l’approvisionnement électrique du futur – rapport global. Aarau
Wüstenhagen R, Wolsink M, Bürer MJ (2007) Social acceptance of renewable energy innovation: an introduction to the concept. Energy Policy 35:2683–2691
Acknowledgments
This research is financially supported by the Swiss Innovation Agency Innosuisse and is part of the Swiss Competence Center for Energy Research SCCER-CREST.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Verhoog, R., van Baal, P., Finger, M. (2018). System Dynamics Simulation to Explore the Impact of Low European Electricity Prices on Swiss Generation Capacity Investments. In: Dorsman, A., Ediger, V., Karan, M. (eds) Energy Economy, Finance and Geostrategy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76867-0_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76867-0_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-76866-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-76867-0
eBook Packages: EnergyEnergy (R0)