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Can Real-Time Pricing Be Progressive? Identifying Cross-Subsidies under Fixed-Rate Electricity Tariffs - Gordon Leslie

Tracks
Room: CBE LT4
Thursday, June 29, 2023
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM

Overview

ELECTRICITY MARKETS Convenor: David Stern


Speaker

Dr Gordon Leslie
Monash University

Can Real-Time Pricing Be Progressive? Identifying Cross-Subsidies under Fixed-Rate Electricity Tariffs

Abstract

Wholesale electricity prices can rapidly change in real-time, yet households usually face fixed-price electricity tariffs. These tariffs create implicit cross-subsidies between households, determined by the timing of consumption. We map substation data on electricity use to demographic data to identify the household characteristics associated with this cross-subsidization. We find that households in areas with low house prices and high levels of renters and elderly residents are net funders of this cross-subsidy, and may be the greatest immediate beneficiaries if real-time retail tariffs are made available. Further, cross-subsidy magnitudes are exacerbated by the wholesale price impacts from increasing solar generator penetration.

Biography

Gordon Leslie is an economist at Monash University, with fields of study in industrial organisation and energy economics. His research examines competition, consumer engagement, policy and regulation in energy markets, particularly in the context of the clean energy transition. Gordon received his PhD at Stanford University and his BCom(Hons) and BSc from the University of Melbourne.
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