Pros and Cons of Carbon Tax
Pros and Cons of Carbon Tax
Pros and Cons of Carbon Tax
Anne Ku
February 1995
2
ABSTRACT
Capacity planning has always been subject to major uncertainties, but privatisation of the
U.K. electricity supply industry (ESI) has introduced the additional risks of business and
market failure. To meet these broader modelling requirements, two radically different
approaches characterised by model synthesis and flexibility are investigated.
Ideally, by using more than one technique, model synthesis should be more capable of
meeting the conflicting criteria of comprehensibility and comprehensiveness. The
noticeable trend of building bigger energy models supports this view in practice. A case
study based modelling experiment was conducted to compare replications of traditional
approaches with prototypes of synthesis. The conclusion from this is that the pursuit of
greater model comprehensiveness through model synthesis is an elusive and ultimately
impractical objective.
Rather than rigorous modelling for completeness, flexibility introduces an entirely different
treatment of uncertainty. Flexibility has received much attention lately, but its usefulness
is under-researched in modelling uncertainty for this context. In this respect, flexibility is
studied 1) as a decision criterion, 2) as a feature of the modelling approach, and 3) in
contrast to robustness.
The seemingly feasible answer of model synthesis is fraught with conceptual and
operational difficulties. The less obvious concept of flexibility offers a more promising
and useful framework. Instead of modelling uncertainty for completeness, this thesis
promotes modelling flexibility for contingency.
3
To my parents,
4
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Writing this thesis was like putting together a big jigsaw puzzle. Without the clues along
the way, the final picture might have appeared much later and perhaps fuzzier. I would
like to thank the kind individuals, who supplied these clues and some of the missing pieces.
First of all, I thank my supervisor Derek Bunn, for his patience and wisdom in guiding me
to the final end and his sustained interest as my thesis evolved. I would also like to thank
Kiriakos Vlahos for suggesting the idea of flexibility in the first place and his considerable
help and feedback on various stages of my research.
I would like to thank the following individuals for intellectual input: Hans Christian
Reinhardt for stimulating discussions on the concept of flexibility and my research as a
whole; François Longin for application of flexibility and robustness; Jonathan Levie and
Mike Staunton for detailed comments on writing and content; Isaac Dyner for feedback on
model synthesis; and Stephen Watson for clarification of the initial literature review on
flexibility.
I would like to thank the LBS Library staff, in particular, John Hall and Lynne Powell for
inter-library loans. I am also deeply grateful to my friend Zakia Mehdi for lending me her
notebook computer in the final stages and Eduardo Ayrosa for configuring it to my
specifications. I also acknowledge the advice and encouragement of other colleagues and
friends who have shared the PhD experience with me.
5
Chance favours the prepared mind.
6
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract ........................................................................................ 3
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................ 5
7
2.7.4 Technology ........................................................................................ 67
2.7.8 Environment........................................................................................ 75
8
3.5.1 Commercially Available Software........................................................ 116
9
4.6 Motivation for Flexibility.............................................................................. 171
10
A.5 Sensitivity Analysis....................................................................................... 200
11
B.4.1 Description of Approach ..................................................................... 257
12
5.6 Technology / Information Systems / Telecommunications .............................. 287
13
7.3.1 Relative Flexibility Benefit .................................................................. 335
14
8.5.1 Partitioning, Sequentiality, Staging ...................................................... 396
D.2 Simple Example: no lead time, demand = supply, planned = actual levels....... 410
15
D.5 The UK Electricity Supply Industry .............................................................. 424
Chapter 9 Conclusions
16
LIST OF TABLES
Chapter 1
Table 1.1 Research Questions and Methodology ............................................................36
Chapter 2
Table 2.1 Privatised Structure in England and Wales ....................................................40
Table 2.2 Comparison of Industry Structures................................................................46
Table 2.3 Evolution of Electricity Planning in the USA ..................................................52
Table 2.4 Important Factors in Capacity Planning..........................................................61
Table 2.5 Fuel/Technology Comparisons ......................................................................69
Table 2.6 Model Requirements for Capacity Planning....................................................79
Chapter 3
Table 3.1 Arguments For and Against Risk Analysis....................................................105
Table 3.2 Steps in Decision Analysis ...........................................................................106
Table 3.3 Pros and Cons of Decision Analysis .............................................................108
Table 3.4 Critique of Techniques .................................................................................126
Chapter 4
Table 4.1 Model Evaluation and Comparison Criteria ..................................................139
Table 4.2 Unprotected but Dominant Utility: National Power .......................................142
Table 4.3 Protected but Competitive Utility .................................................................143
Table 4.4 Unprotected but Encouraged Utility..............................................................144
Table 4.5 Comparison With Respect to Evaluation Criteria..........................................149
Table 4.6 Summary of Approaches..............................................................................150
Table 4.7 Major Concerns in Model Synthesis .............................................................155
Table 4.8 Structuring Issues ........................................................................................157
Table 4.9 Dependent Variables in the Reduced Model ..................................................163
Table 4.10 Independent Variables in the Reduced Model..............................................164
Table 4.11 Difficulties of Model Synthesis Implementation ..........................................169
Table 4.12 Completeness and “Unease” .......................................................................172
17
Appendix A
Table A.1 Consolidated Range .................................................................................... 200
Table A.2 UK Parameters ........................................................................................... 203
Table A.3 Base Costs for the UK ................................................................................ 204
Table A.4 Simulation Parameters for Nuclear.............................................................. 212
Table A.5 Simulation Values for Coal ......................................................................... 214
Table A.6 Simulation Values for Gas .......................................................................... 216
Appendix B
Table B.1 Sources of Information................................................................................ 229
Table B.2 Status of Plant ............................................................................................ 231
Table B.3 Existing Plant as at July 1993 ..................................................................... 232
Table B.4 Summary of All Plant in England and Wales NGC System as at July 1993 .. 236
Table B.5 Input Files to ECAP.................................................................................... 255
Table B.6 Output Files from ECAP............................................................................. 256
Chapter 5
Table 5.1 Uses of Flexibility ....................................................................................... 292
Chapter 6
Table 6.1 Flexibility and Robustness ........................................................................... 297
Table 6.2 Gerwin’s (1993) Methods of Coping With Uncertainty................................. 304
Table 6.3 Response to Areas of Uncertainties in Chapter 2 .......................................... 304
Table 6.4 Mandelbaum (1978) .................................................................................... 315
18
Chapter 7
Table 7.1 Elements and Indicators of Flexibility...........................................................335
Table 7.2 Annual Costs 336
Table 7.3 Comparison of Expected Value Measures.....................................................353
Table 7.4 Equal Entropies for Different Number of States............................................369
Chapter 8
Table 8.1 Problem Categories and Expected Value Measures .......................................386
Table 8.2 Areas of Uncertainties Affecting Costs and Revenues ...................................388
Appendix D
Table D.1 Terminology and Notations .........................................................................411
Table D.2 Lead Time and Cost of Not Meeting Demand ..............................................418
Table D.3 Preferences with respect to Risk Attitude when P(Dt > Qmax) >0 ................419
Table D.4 Conditions for Robustness and Flexibility....................................................420
Chapter 9
Table 9.1 Research Questions and Answers .................................................................435
Table 9.2 Flexibility ..............................................................................................441
19
20
LIST OF FIGURES
Chapter 1
Figure 1.1 Organisation of Thesis ..................................................................................30
Chapter 2
Figure 2.1 Privatised Industry Structure in the UK........................................................40
Figure 2.2 Spiral of Impossibility .................................................................................54
Chapter 3
Figure 3.1 Decomposition Methods................................................................................89
Figure 3.2 Scenario Planning Process ..........................................................................100
Figure 3.3 The Over and Under Model........................................................................110
Figure 3.4 Matrix Model of Decisions and Outcomes..................................................112
Figure 3.5 Decision Tree in SMARTS ........................................................................114
Figure 3.6 Technology Choice Decision Tree ...............................................................115
Figure 3.7 Technology Choice Objectives Hierarchy ....................................................116
Figure 3.8 Optimisation Grid.......................................................................................118
Figure 3.9 Decision Tree with Optimisation Algorithm.................................................120
Figure 3.10 Scenario / Decision Analysis .....................................................................121
Figure 3.11 Decision Tree of New Technology Evaluation ...........................................123
Figure 3.12 SMARTE Methodology ............................................................................124
Figure 3.13 OR Techniques .........................................................................................130
Chapter 4
Figure 4.1 Experimental Protocol ................................................................................135
Appendix A
Figure A.1 Uncertainty Modelling................................................................................181
Figure A.2 Horizontal Analysis of Value Ranges .........................................................182
Figure A.3 Vertical Analysis of Cost Contribution .......................................................184
21
Figure A.4 Factors Influencing Cost ............................................................................ 185
Figure A.5 Carbon Tax Calculations for Coal-fired Plants ........................................... 193
Figure A.6 Contribution to Final Cost ......................................................................... 204
Figure A.7 UK Coal vs Nuclear Trade-off Curves with $3 Carbon Tax ....................... 205
Figure A.8 UK Coal vs Nuclear Trade-off Curves with $10 Carbon Tax...................... 206
Figure A.9 Coal ............................................................................................. 207
Figure A.10 Nuclear ............................................................................................. 208
Figure A.11 Risk Profiles for Nuclear ......................................................................... 213
Figure A.12 Risk Profiles for Coal .............................................................................. 215
Figure A.13 Risk Profiles for Gas ............................................................................... 217
Figure A.14 Trade-off Curves for Coal, Nuclear, and Gas (no tax) .............................. 218
Figure A.15 Most Likely Case..................................................................................... 218
Figure A.16 Most Expensive Case............................................................................... 219
Figure A.17 Carbon Tax on Coal ................................................................................ 220
Figure A.18 Carbon Tax on Gas ................................................................................. 220
Figure A.19 Modelling Directions................................................................................ 222
Appendix B
Figure B.1 Load Duration Curves for Demand Uncertainty.......................................... 239
Figure B.2 Scenario Generation................................................................................... 240
Figure B.3 Replication of the Probabilistic Approach................................................... 253
Figure B.4 Prototype One: Single Project.................................................................... 260
Figure B.5 Prototype Two: Marginal Cost Analysis .................................................... 261
Appendix C
Figure C.1 Similarities of Techniques.......................................................................... 265
Figure C.2 Risk Analysis and Decision Analysis.......................................................... 267
Figure C.3 Types of Model Linkages........................................................................... 272
Chapter 6
Figure 6.1 Conceptual Framework............................................................................... 295
22
Chapter 7
Figure 7.1 Hobbs’ Example.........................................................................................337
Figure 7.2 Expected Conditions ...................................................................................339
Figure 7.3 Investment Y 341
Figure 7.4 General Structure of Normalisation.............................................................345
Figure 7.5 Expected Conditions ...................................................................................346
Figure 7.6 Schneeweiss and Kühn................................................................................347
Figure 7.7 EVPI ..............................................................................................350
Figure 7.8 Relative Flexibility Benefit..........................................................................350
Figure 7.9 Deterministic EV ........................................................................................352
Figure 7.10 Notation ..............................................................................................357
Figure 7.11 Maximum Entropy as a Function of States ................................................358
Figure 7.12 Entropy and Standard Deviation................................................................358
Figure 7.13 State Discrimination .................................................................................359
Figure 7.14 Decomposition Rule..................................................................................360
Figure 7.15 Decision Tree Transformation for Entropic Treatment...............................366
Chapter 8
Figure 8.1 Decision Tree of Generic Example ..............................................................383
Figure 8.2 Influence Diagram of Generic Example .......................................................384
Figure 8.3 Hirst’s (1989) Example ..............................................................................387
Figure 8.4 Electricity Planning Example ......................................................................389
Figure 8.5 Plant Economics Influence Diagram............................................................391
Figure 8.6 Plant Economics Decision Tree...................................................................392
Figure 8.7 Pool Price Influence Diagram......................................................................394
Figure 8.8 Pool Price Decision Tree.............................................................................395
Figure 8.9 Partitioning ..............................................................................................397
Figure 8.10 Sequentiality and Staging..........................................................................398
Figure 8.11 Flexibility by Plant Lives ..........................................................................399
Figure 8.12 Postponement and Deferral Decision Tree .................................................402
Figure 8.13 Deferral with respect to Market and Plant Uncertainty...............................403
Figure 8.14 Diversity Influence Diagram .....................................................................404
Figure 8.15 Diversity Decision Tree ............................................................................405
23
Appendix D
Figure D.1 Costs of holding and production: Ch and Cp ............................................. 412
Figure D.2 Relationship between Iopt and Ch, Cp ........................................................ 416
Figure D.3 Cost of extra production Cxp ..................................................................... 420
Chapter 9
Figure 9.1 Research Messages..................................................................................... 434
24