Our objective

One objective of the Institute of Public Economics is to facilitate research that analyzes the performance of electricity markets and the design of policies to assist in the integration of renewables into the power system. The Institute also facilitates communication of research results in this area.

• Topics include:
• Designing roof-top solar compensation policies;
• Analyzing the impacts of carbon pricing mechanisms;
• Designing regulations to motivate utilities to invest in distributed energy resources such as roof-top solar, storage, and demand-side management programs;
• Designing demand response compensation;
• Retail rate design in the presence of distributed energy resources;
• Analyze market power execution in restructured electricity markets;
• Measuring the effects of mergers in restructured electricity markets.

Electricity Research Papers

• “Carbon Pricing with an Output Subsidy under Imperfect Competition: The Case of Alberta’s Restructured Electricity Market” (David Brown, Andrew Eckert, and Heather Eckert)
• “Electricity Markets in Transition: Market Distortions Associated with Retail Price Controls" (David Brown, Andrew Eckert, and Heather Eckert)
• "Mergers with Endogenous Forward Contracting" (David Brown and Andrew Eckert)
• "Analyzing Electricity Market Structure Changes and Mergers: The Importance of Forward Commitments" (David Brown and Andrew Eckert)
• "Measuring Market Power and the Efficiency of Alberta's Restructured Electricity Market: An Energy-Only Design" (David Brown and Derek Olmstead)
• "Designing Compensation for Distributed Solar Generation: Are Common Net Metering Policies Optimal?" (David Brown and David Sappington)
• "On the Optimal Design of Demand Response Policies," (David Brown and David Sappington)
• “Optimal Policies to Promote Efficient Distributed Generation of Electricity” (David Brown and David Sappington)
• "On the Role of Maximum Demand Charges in the Presence of Distributed Generation Resources'" (David Brown and Andrew Eckert)
• "The Effect of Default Rates on Retail Competition and Pricing Decisions of Competitive Retailers: The Case of Alberta" (David Brown and David Sappington)
• "Optimal Procurement of Distributed Energy Resources" (David Brown and David Sappington)
• "Capacity Payment Mechanisms and Investment Incentives in Restructured Electricity Markets" (David Brown)

Graduate Students – Researching Electricity Markets

• Hyeck Ki Min
• Yuan Bian

Post-Doctoral Fellows – Researching Electricity Markets

• Ryan Walch
• Jingchao Zhang

Past Conference

The IPE and the department of Economics hosted a conference on "Renewable Energy and Electricity Markets" in May 2018 at the University of Alberta.

Location: Education Building, Room 129, University of Alberta, AB

Organizers: David Brown, Andrew Eckert and Corinne Langinier

Hanson Lectures and Workshops

• Hanson Lecture -- 2017

• Speaker: Professor Meredith Fowlie, University of California, Berkeley
• Title: The Changing Economics of Electricity Markets
• Date: December 5, 2017

• Workshop -- 2017

• Speaker: David Brown, University of Alberta, Department of Economics
• Title: The Economics of Capacity Payment Mechanisms in Restructured Electricity Markets
• Date: Monday March 27, 2017

• Workshop -- 2016

• Speaker: David Brown, University of Alberta, Department of Economics
• Title: The Economics of Renewable Energy - Home Solar Power
• Date: February 22, 2016
• IPE Solar Workshop - Video
• IPE Solar Workshop - Slides

• Hanson Lecture -- 2012

• Speaker: Professor Severin Borenstein, University of California at Berkeley
• Title: What It Will Take to Make Renewable Energy Competitive?
• Date: October 26, 2012

Fellows

• David Brown

• David Brown is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics, University of Alberta. Professor Brown received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Florida. Dr. Brown's fields of research include Energy Economics, Applied Econometrics, Industrial Organization, and Regulatory Policy. His current work focuses on analyzing the impacts of energy policies on the performance of electricity markets and the design of compensation for renewable resources. This includes research that analyzes the design of retail tariffs to compensate distributed energy resources such as residential roof-top solar panels and demand response mechanisms; measuring market power execution in wholesale power markets; analyzing the impacts of mergers and market structure changes; designing regulations to motivate utilities to invest in distributed resources; and analyzing the impacts of carbon pricing mechanisms.

• Andrew Eckert

• Andrew Eckert is a Professor in the Department of Economics. He has obtained degrees from the University of Saskatchewan (BA, 1993), the University of Western Ontario (MA, 1994) and the University of British Columbia (PhD, 1999). Andrew's research interests lie in the field of industrial organization and energy economics. Prior to joining the University of Alberta, Andrew spent a year as an economist with the Competition Bureau, where he was engaged in work regarding competition issues in several industries. Andrew’s research has been published in a wide range of economic journals. Current research focuses on market power in wholesale electricity markets and the effects of carbon pricing, merger analysis in wholesale electricity markets, and policies regarding retail electricity markets.