Market Power and Price Exposure: Learning from Changes in Renewable Energy Regulation

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
Year: 2023
Volume: 15
Issue: 4
Pages: 323-58

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Given the critical role of renewable energies in current and future electricity markets, it is important to understand how they affect firms' pricing incentives. We study whether the price-depressing effect of renewables depends on their degree of market price exposure. Paying renewables with fixed prices, rather than market-based prices, is more effective at curbing market power when the dominant firms own large shares of renewables, and vice versa. Our empirical analysis leverages several short-lived changes to renewables regulation in the Spanish market and shows that switching from full-price exposure to fixed prices caused a 2–4 percent reduction in the average price-cost markup.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejpol:v:15:y:2023:i:4:p:323-58
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25