低成本的电力市场如何使得克萨斯州寒冷

美国人经常将电力视为理所当然 - 直到灯光熄灭。最近德克萨斯州的冷浪波浪已经对德克萨斯州电力可靠性委员会, or ERCOT, the nonprofit corporation that manages the flow of electricity to more than 26 million Texans. Together, ERCOT and similar organizations管理约60％的美国电源.

从我对美国电力行业的结构, I know that rules set by entities like ERCOT have major effects on Americans' energy choices. The current power crunch in Texas and other affected states highlights the delicate balancing act that's involved in providing safe, reliable electricity service at fair, reasonable rates. It also shows how arcane features of energy markets can have big effects at critical moments.

让光线

The electric age began in 1882 when the Edison Illuminating Company sent power over wires to 59 customers in lower Manhattan from its Pearl Street Generating Station. Edison was America's first investor-owned electric utility — a company that generated electricity, moved it over transmission lines and delivered it to individual customers.

电力公司的范围和规模迅速从那些不起眼的起点开始增长，但是这种基本的垂直整合结构保持完整100多年。每个公用事业公司都在为其地区的客户提供垄断，并报告给public utility commission，这告诉公司可以收取的费率。

由于公用事业比其他任何人都更了解其成本和能力，因此监管者负担负担，以决定该公用事业是否有效运行。监管机构也确定whether the costs that utilities proposed to pass on to customers — such as building new generating plants — were just and reasonable.

线条纠结

Things grew complicated in 1996 when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issuedOrder 888，允许各州重组其电力行业，以促进更多的竞争。通过各个州立法机关的行动或无所作为，美国的电力市场破裂了。

一些州主要在东南和西部，维持了垂直整合的结构。全国其他地区转向了一个市场结构，在该结构中，发电机竞争出售电力。

Regions created new independent organizations — known as independent system operators or regional transmission organizations — to regulate the flow of power on the grid. In these regions, generators compete to sell their electricity, and organizations calledmarket monitors确保发电机遵守规则。这种方法创造了电力市场，以最低的价格发电优先。

必须保持价格低

这些变化对具有竞争力市场的地区的电力客户意味着什么？向房屋和企业提供电力电力的公司仍然必须获得监管机构批准的价格，但是该系统在产生该电力的企业方面的运作不同。

Generators offer their electricity, typically at a particular price each hour, on exchanges run by market operators like ERCOT. Those operators figure out how much electricity is needed across the regions they serve and choose the lowest-cost bidders to supply it.

如果未选择发电公司，它将失去在该小时内出售电力的机会。销售电力是发电机如何创造收入来为工人，发电厂和燃料等付款。这意味着发电机有动力竞标尽可能低，并销售尽可能多的电力。

现在，得克萨斯州的发电机正面临批评不准备在极度冷的温度下运行. But consider the challenges facing two Texas generators that are identical in every way, except that one decides to invest in winterization. That company will have higher costs than its competitor and may be forced to submit higher-priced offers in the market, potentially losing out on opportunities to sell its electricity.

In the long run, the company that winterizes may have a more difficult time staying in business. It would be better prepared for the conditions affecting Texas now, but it would operate at a competitive disadvantage under more normal conditions.

一个称为国际非营利组织的监管机构北美可靠性公司对每个北美地区进行半年可靠性评估，但是这些评估仅与它们基于的假设一样好。如果评估不考虑极端事件，那么监管机构将无法确定电源系统是否已准备就绪。

在2011年导致电力短缺的较早的寒冷浪潮之后，联邦监管机构确定了对德克萨斯州电力系统进行冬季的选择 - 但Ercotdid not require energy companies to carry them out. Other regions might value resilience differently. For example, ISO-New England launched a program in 2018 that compensates generators for当系统紧张时提供额外的容量.

竞争性一代市场的力量是，每个发电机从长远来看使其可持续发展。这也是市场的弱点。

德克萨斯州的下一步是什么？

一旦恢复了德克萨斯州的电力，州和联邦决策者将不得不解决几个棘手的问题，以使这样的失败不太可能。

首先，为严重风暴准备电力系统是否代表电力客户的价值？人们应该保护哪些类型的事件？谁决定可靠性评估的方案？由于消费者将支付费用，因此他们也应该受益。

Second, how should people pay for this resiliency? Costs could be assessed based on the number of kilowatt hours each household uses or charged as a flat fee per customer — an approach that could benefit heavy electricity users. Or they could be covered through new taxes. How will decision-makers respond a year from now, when the crisis has passed and people ask, "The weather is great and the system is doing fine, so why am I paying more for my electricity?"

第三，消费者为改进系统而付出的钱如何转化为项目？它应该直接转移到发电机或发电公司可以借鉴的基金中吗？谁将管理该基金？最终，谁负责实施对系统的更改，如果情况没有改善，谁负责？

Finally, how will these changes affect the market's central goal: inducing energy companies to provide power at the lowest cost?

Ultimately,the public pays the costs of electricity service, either through higher rates or service interruptions during events like this week's Texas freeze. In my view, utilities, regulators, government officials and people like me who study them have a responsibility to ensure that people get the best value for their money.

西奥多·库里（Theodore Kury）is the director of energy studies at the University of Florida's Public Utility Research Center, which is sponsored in part by the Florida electric and gas utilities and the Florida Public Service Commission.

本文从对话在创意共享许可下。你可以找到原始文章在这里.