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Supply Function Equilibria: Step functions and continuous representations

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  • Pär Holmberg

    (Research Institute of Industrial Economics, Stockholm)

  • David Newbery

    (Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge)

  • Daniel Ralph

    (Judge Business School, University of Cambridge)

Abstract

In most electricity markets generators must submit step-function offers to a uniform price auction. These markets are often modelled as simpler pure-strategy Supply Function Equilibria (SFE) with continuous supply functions. Critics argue that the discreteness and discontinuity of the required steps drastically change Nash equilibria, invalidating predictions of the SFE model. We prove that there are sufficient conditions, offered quantities can be continuously varied, offered prices are selected from a finite set, and the density of the additive demand shock is not too steep, where the resulting stepped SFE converges to the continuous SFE as the number of steps increases, reconciling the apparently very disparate approaches to modelling electricity markets.
(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)

Suggested Citation

  • Pär Holmberg & David Newbery & Daniel Ralph, 2008. "Supply Function Equilibria: Step functions and continuous representations," Working Papers EPRG 0829, Energy Policy Research Group, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
    • Handle: RePEc:enp:wpaper:eprg0829
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Auctions; supply function equilibria; convergence of step-functions; electricity markets;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • D44 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Auctions
    • C62 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Existence and Stability Conditions of Equilibrium
    • L94 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Electric Utilities

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