Battery Operations in Electricity Markets: Strategic Behavior and Distortions

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Anunrojwong, Jerry, Balseiro, Santiago R., Besbes, Omar, Xu, Bolun
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Anunrojwong, Jerry
Balseiro, Santiago R.
Besbes, Omar
Xu, Bolun
author_facet Anunrojwong, Jerry
Balseiro, Santiago R.
Besbes, Omar
Xu, Bolun
contents Electric power systems are undergoing a major transformation as they integrate intermittent renewable energy sources, and batteries to smooth out variations in renewable energy production. As privately-owned batteries grow from their role as marginal "price-takers" to significant players in the market, a natural question arises: How do batteries operate in electricity markets, and how does the strategic behavior of decentralized batteries distort decisions compared to centralized batteries? We propose an analytically tractable model that captures salient features of the highly complex electricity market. We derive in closed form the resulting battery behavior and generation cost in three operating regimes: (i) no battery, (ii) centralized battery, and (ii) decentralized profit-maximizing battery. We establish that a decentralized battery distorts its discharge decisions in three ways. First, there is quantity withholding, i.e., discharging less than centrally optimal. Second, there is a shift in participation from day-ahead to real-time, i.e., postponing some of its discharge from day-ahead to real-time. Third, there is reduction in real-time responsiveness, or discharging less in response to smoothing real-time demand than centrally optimal. We also quantify the impact of the battery market power on total system cost via the Price of Anarchy metric, and prove that the it is always between $9/8$ and $4/3$. That is, incentive misalignment always exists, but it is bounded even in the worst case. We calibrate our model to real data from Los Angeles and Houston. Lastly, we show that competition is very effective at reducing distortions, but many market power mitigation mechanisms backfire, and lead to higher total cost.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2406_18685
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Battery Operations in Electricity Markets: Strategic Behavior and Distortions
Anunrojwong, Jerry
Balseiro, Santiago R.
Besbes, Omar
Xu, Bolun
Theoretical Economics
Systems and Control
Electric power systems are undergoing a major transformation as they integrate intermittent renewable energy sources, and batteries to smooth out variations in renewable energy production. As privately-owned batteries grow from their role as marginal "price-takers" to significant players in the market, a natural question arises: How do batteries operate in electricity markets, and how does the strategic behavior of decentralized batteries distort decisions compared to centralized batteries? We propose an analytically tractable model that captures salient features of the highly complex electricity market. We derive in closed form the resulting battery behavior and generation cost in three operating regimes: (i) no battery, (ii) centralized battery, and (ii) decentralized profit-maximizing battery. We establish that a decentralized battery distorts its discharge decisions in three ways. First, there is quantity withholding, i.e., discharging less than centrally optimal. Second, there is a shift in participation from day-ahead to real-time, i.e., postponing some of its discharge from day-ahead to real-time. Third, there is reduction in real-time responsiveness, or discharging less in response to smoothing real-time demand than centrally optimal. We also quantify the impact of the battery market power on total system cost via the Price of Anarchy metric, and prove that the it is always between $9/8$ and $4/3$. That is, incentive misalignment always exists, but it is bounded even in the worst case. We calibrate our model to real data from Los Angeles and Houston. Lastly, we show that competition is very effective at reducing distortions, but many market power mitigation mechanisms backfire, and lead to higher total cost.
title Battery Operations in Electricity Markets: Strategic Behavior and Distortions
topic Theoretical Economics
Systems and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.18685