IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/eneeco/v32y2010i6p1277-1282.html

Some searches may not work properly. We apologize for the inconvenience.

   My bibliography  Save this article

Development and application of a cost-benefit framework for energy reliability: Using probabilistic methods in network planning and regulation to enhance social welfare: The N-1 rule

Author

Listed:
  • de Nooij, Michiel
  • Baarsma, Barbara
  • Bloemhof, Gabriël
  • Slootweg, Han
  • Dijk, Harold

Abstract

Although electricity is crucial to many activities in developed societies, guaranteeing a maximum reliability of supply to end-users is extremely costly. This situation gives rise to a trade-off between the costs and benefits of reliability. The Dutch government has responded to this trade-off by changing the rule stipulating that electricity networks must be able to maintain supply even if one component fails (known as the N-1 rule), even in maintenance situations. This rule was changed by adding the phrase "unless the costs exceed the benefits." We have developed a cost-benefit framework for the implementation and application of this new rule. The framework requires input on failure probability, the cost of supply interruptions to end-users and the cost of investments. A case study of the Dutch grid shows that the method is indeed practicable and that it is highly unlikely that N-1 during maintenance will enhance welfare in the Netherlands. Therefore, including the limitation "unless the costs exceed the benefits" in the rule has been a sensible policy for the Netherlands, and would also be a sensible policy for other countries.

Suggested Citation

  • de Nooij, Michiel & Baarsma, Barbara & Bloemhof, Gabriël & Slootweg, Han & Dijk, Harold, 2010. "Development and application of a cost-benefit framework for energy reliability: Using probabilistic methods in network planning and regulation to enhance social welfare: The N-1 rule," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 1277-1282, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:32:y:2010:i:6:p:1277-1282
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140-9883(10)00101-5
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Paul Joskow & Jean Tirole, 2005. "Merchant Transmission Investment," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(2), pages 233-264, June.
    2. de Nooij, Michiel & Lieshout, Rogier & Koopmans, Carl, 2009. "Optimal blackouts: Empirical results on reducing the social cost of electricity outages through efficient regional rationing," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 342-347, May.
    3. Tishler, Asher, 1993. "Optimal production with uncertain interruptions in the supply of electricity : Estimation of electricity outage costs," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 1259-1274, August.
    4. Douglas W. Caves & Joseph A. Herriges & Robert J. Windle, 1992. "The Cost of Electric Power Interruptions in the Industrial Sector: Estimates Derived from Interruptible Service Programs," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 68(1), pages 49-61.
    5. Herriges, Joseph A. & Caves, Douglas W. & Windle, R. J., 1992. "The Cost of Power Interruptions in the Industrial Sector: Estimates Derived from Interruptible Service Programs," Staff General Research Papers Archive 10789, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    6. Serra, Pablo & Fierro, Gabriel, 1997. "Outage costs in Chilean industry," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 417-434, October.
    7. Sanghvi, Arun P., 1982. "Economic costs of electricity supply interruptions : US and foreign experience," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 4(3), pages 180-198, July.
    8. Seth Blumsack & Lester B. Lave & Marija Ilic, 2007. "A Quantitative Analysis of the Relationship Between Congestion and Reliability in Electric Power Networks," The Energy Journal, , vol. 28(4), pages 73-100, October.
    9. Mohan Munasinghe & Mark Gellerson, 1979. "Economic Criteria for Optimizing Power System Reliability Levels," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 10(1), pages 353-365, Spring.
    10. Raymond S. Hartman & Michael J. Doane & Chi-Keung Woo, 1991. "Consumer Rationality and the Status Quo," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 106(1), pages 141-162.
    11. Baarsma, Barbara E. & Hop, J. Peter, 2009. "Pricing power outages in the Netherlands," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(9), pages 1378-1386.
    12. Kirschen, Daniel & Strbac, Goran, 2004. "Why Investments Do Not Prevent Blackouts," The Electricity Journal, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 29-36, March.
    13. de Nooij, Michiel & Koopmans, Carl & Bijvoet, Carlijn, 2007. "The value of supply security: The costs of power interruptions: Economic input for damage reduction and investment in networks," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 277-295, March.
    14. Beenstock, Michael & Goldin, Ephraim & Haitovsky, Yoel, 1998. "Response bias in a conjoint analysis of power outages," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 135-156, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Bouwmeester, Maaike & Scholtens, Bert, 2014. "Cross-border spillovers from European gas infrastructure investment," Research Report 14028-EEF, University of Groningen, Research Institute SOM (Systems, Organisations and Management).
    2. Klaus S. Friesenbichler, 2013. "Innovation in the Energy Sector. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 31," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 46917, October.
    3. Luise Röpke, 2015. "Essays on the Integration of New Energy Sources into Existing Energy Systems," ifo Beiträge zur Wirtschaftsforschung, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, number 58, March.
    4. Röpke, Luise, 2013. "The development of renewable energies and supply security: A trade-off analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 1011-1021.
    5. Woo, C.K. & Ho, T. & Shiu, A. & Cheng, Y.S. & Horowitz, I. & Wang, J., 2014. "Residential outage cost estimation: Hong Kong," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 204-210.
    6. Bouwmeester, Maaike C. & Scholtens, Bert, 2017. "Cross-border investment expenditure spillovers in European gas infrastructure," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 371-380.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Röpke, Luise, 2013. "The development of renewable energies and supply security: A trade-off analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 1011-1021.
    2. de Nooij, Michiel & Koopmans, Carl & Bijvoet, Carlijn, 2007. "The value of supply security: The costs of power interruptions: Economic input for damage reduction and investment in networks," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 277-295, March.
    3. Botelho, Vinícius, 2019. "Estimating the economic impacts of power supply interruptions," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 983-994.
    4. Wolf, André & Wenzel, Lars, 2016. "Regional diversity in the costs of electricity outages: Results for German counties," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(PB), pages 195-205.
    5. Luise Röpke, 2015. "Essays on the Integration of New Energy Sources into Existing Energy Systems," ifo Beiträge zur Wirtschaftsforschung, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, number 58, March.
    6. Wolf, André & Wenzel, Lars, 2015. "Welfare implications of power rationing: An application to Germany," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 53-62.
    7. Becker, Sophia & Schober, Dominik & Wassermann, Sandra, 2016. "How to approach consumers’ nonmonetary evaluation of electricity supply security? The case of Germany from a multidisciplinary perspective," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 74-84.
    8. Pepermans, Guido, 2011. "The value of continuous power supply for Flemish households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(12), pages 7853-7864.
    9. Abrate, Graziano & Bruno, Clementina & Erbetta, Fabrizio & Fraquelli, Giovanni & Lorite-Espejo, Azahara, 2016. "A choice experiment on the willingness of households to accept power outages," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(PB), pages 151-164.
    10. Mubashir Qasim & Koji Kotani, 2014. "An empirical analysis of energy shortage in Pakistan," Asia-Pacific Development Journal, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), vol. 21(1), pages 137-166, June.
    11. Richard S. J. Tol, 2023. "Navigating the energy trilemma during geopolitical and environmental crises," Papers 2301.07671, arXiv.org.
    12. Woo, C.K. & Tishler, A. & Zarnikau, J. & Chen, Y., 2021. "Average residential outage cost estimates for the lower 48 states in the US," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    13. Majid Hashemi & Glenn P. Jenkins & Roop Jyoti & Aygul Ozbafli, 2018. "Evaluating the Cost to Industry of Electricity Outages," Development Discussion Papers 2018-14, JDI Executive Programs.
    14. de Nooij, Michiel & Lieshout, Rogier & Koopmans, Carl, 2009. "Optimal blackouts: Empirical results on reducing the social cost of electricity outages through efficient regional rationing," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 342-347, May.
    15. Landegren, Finn & Johansson, Jonas & Samuelsson, Olof, 2019. "Quality of supply regulations versus societal priorities regarding electricity outage consequences: Case study in a Swedish context," International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection, Elsevier, vol. 26(C).
    16. Serra, Pablo & Fierro, Gabriel, 1997. "Outage costs in Chilean industry," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 417-434, October.
    17. Musiliu 0. Oseni & Michael G. Pollitt, 2013. "The Economic Costs of Unsupplied Electricty: Evidence from Backup Generation among African Firms," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1351, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    18. Woo, C.K. & Cao, K.H. & Zarnikau, J. & Yip, T.L. & Chow, A., 2021. "What moves Hong Kong's train ridership?," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    19. Kim, Kayoung & Nam, Heekoo & Cho, Youngsang, 2015. "Estimation of the inconvenience cost of a rolling blackout in the residential sector: The case of South Korea," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 76-86.
    20. Baarsma, Barbara E. & Hop, J. Peter, 2009. "Pricing power outages in the Netherlands," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(9), pages 1378-1386.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:32:y:2010:i:6:p:1277-1282. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/eneco .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.