The author examines the various factors that contributed to the 2021 Texas electricity crisis, reflects on lessons learned from the event and provides recommendations to better prepare for extreme weather events and reduce the risk of widespread, long-duration power interruptions.

By Lamia Varawala, Mohammad Reza Hesamzadeh, György Dán, Derek Bunn and Juan Rosellón

Abstract

The electricity…

An emerging perspective in U.S. public discourse claims that a buildout of renewable electricity would exacerbate supply risks, mining intensity, and import dependence. This ScienceDirect article from fellow Jim Krane and graduate student Robert Idel contends the opposite is true, demonstrating how transitioning to renewables hugely reduces the materials, mining and political risk involved compared to coal.

As the electricity sector transitions to renewable energy with distributed generation, investment in and regulation of energy transmission require careful consideration. This IAEE article analyzes the relevant issues.

The authors use household-level data and hourly industry data from Mexico to show how more efficient pricing mechanisms, combined with well-designed environmental regulations, can significantly improve economic, social and environmental outcomes.

The authors assess the impact of Mexico's 2014 energy reform on consumer welfare.

The ORDC has been proposed in some markets to solve the missing-money problem. The authors estimate the extent to which ORDC prices are negatively affected by wind generation, using hourly data from ERCOT between Jan. 2015 and Feb. 2019. The authors conclude that if wind penetration increases, ORDC may not be a good idea.

This paper presents a stochastic bilevel disjunctive program for transmission investment planning. Published in Networks and Spatial Economics -- A Journal of Infrastructure Modeling and Computation.

For petrostates like Saudi Arabia, new tactics and strategies will be needed to recapture the strategic interest of global powers, and to cope with the transition away from fossil fuels. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Fall 2020.