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Advances in the Development of Electricity and Carbon Markets: Challenges and Opportunities

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "C: Energy Economics and Policy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 August 2025 | Viewed by 3580

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Interests: low-carbon energy system planning; data analytics in electricity markets; applied machine learning for energy economics; artificial intelligence (AI) applications in energy trading and pricing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global push towards reducing carbon emissions and achieving sustainable development has led to the evolution of both electricity and carbon markets. As these markets expand, their interaction and integration has become critical in promoting efficient energy use and reducing our carbon footprint. The development of electricity and carbon markets presents a range of challenges, such as technological innovation, market design, and regulatory alignment, but also offers significant opportunities for enhancing sustainability and economic efficiency.

The aim of this Special Issue is to gather pioneering research and advancements in the development of electricity and carbon markets. By providing a platform for scholars and industry experts to share their insights, this Special Issue seeks to deepen our understanding of market dynamics, explore innovative solutions for market integration, and address the challenges inherent in these evolving markets. The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics: the mechanisms driving market synergy, the role of policy and regulation, technological innovations facilitating market development, and the economic and environmental impacts of these integrated markets.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Interaction between electricity market dynamics and carbon pricing mechanisms
  • Technological innovations in electricity and carbon market operations
  • Market design and regulatory frameworks for electricity and carbon trading
  • Decentralized energy and carbon trading and blockchain applications
  • Impact of renewable energy on electricity and carbon markets
  • Large-scale energy storage in electricity and carbon market integration
  • Economic analysis of integrated electricity and carbon markets
  • Market risk management in electricity and carbon markets
  • Resilience and flexibility in electricity and carbon markets design.

Dr. Jing Qiu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • electricity markets
  • carbon markets
  • sustainability
  • market integration
  • resilience and flexibility

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 1026 KiB  
Article
An Improved Tiered Electricity Pricing Scheme Considering Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction, Cross-Subsidy Handling, and User Demands
by Siqiang Liu, Wei Ye, Yongfei Wu and Ze Ye
Energies 2025, 18(10), 2610; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18102610 - 19 May 2025
Viewed by 244
Abstract
The electric power industry is not only facing the pressure from the reduction of industrial and commercial electricity prices to stimulate the significant growth of demand, but also facing the increasingly serious pressure of unreasonable consumption caused by cross-subsidies; the cross-subsidy mitigation effect [...] Read more.
The electric power industry is not only facing the pressure from the reduction of industrial and commercial electricity prices to stimulate the significant growth of demand, but also facing the increasingly serious pressure of unreasonable consumption caused by cross-subsidies; the cross-subsidy mitigation effect and energy-saving effect of the current tiered electricity price policy have basically disappeared. This article examines the main variables that affect the electricity demand and carbon emissions in order to develop a better tiered electricity pricing scheme that can effectively manage cross-subsidies in electricity prices while simultaneously saving energy and lowering carbon emissions. The China Statistical Yearbook’s electricity balance sheets for 2013–2020 are used in this article, along with pertinent data from the State Grid Corporation of China and the China Statistical Yearbook for 2006–2016. It builds an electricity demand model for classified users by using the time series analysis method and multiple statistical regression method. The variables are then subjected to a Granger causality test and a cointegration test in this article. The analysis shows that the adjustment of the electricity price policy has a significant impact on energy-saving and carbon reduction, and for residential electricity consumption, the income variable is the main factor affecting the electricity demand. We take residents’ affordability as the constraint condition for dividing the range of electricity and determining the beneficiary group, take the carbon emission responsibility target and the cross-subsidy degree alleviation target as constraints in determining the tiered price difference, propose an improvement scheme for the tiered electricity price, and carry out the sensitivity analysis of the influence between the parameters. The results show that the optimization improves the precision of the cross-subsidy treatment and significantly improves the effects of energy conservation and emission reduction. Full article
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18 pages, 2341 KiB  
Article
Economy or Climate? Impact of Policy Uncertainty on Price Volatility of China’s Carbon Emission Trading Markets
by Zhuoer Chen, Xiaohai Gao, Nan Chen, Yihang Zhao and Sen Guo
Energies 2025, 18(10), 2448; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18102448 - 10 May 2025
Viewed by 244
Abstract
Based on the economic and climate policy uncertainty index and the price data of major carbon emission trading markets from May 2014 to August 2023, this paper uses the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity and mixing data sampling (GARCH-MIDAS) model to analyze the impact [...] Read more.
Based on the economic and climate policy uncertainty index and the price data of major carbon emission trading markets from May 2014 to August 2023, this paper uses the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity and mixing data sampling (GARCH-MIDAS) model to analyze the impact of policy uncertainty on carbon market price volatility. The results indicate the following: (1) The price volatility in the Hubei carbon market is influenced by both economic and climate policy uncertainties, while the Guangdong market is only affected by climate policy uncertainty, and the Shenzhen carbon market is only affected by economic policy uncertainty. (2) Before the establishment of the national carbon market, the carbon market prices in Hubei were impacted by both policy uncertainties, while Guangdong and Shenzhen carbon markets were only affected by climate policy uncertainties. (3) On the contrary, after the establishment of the national carbon market, only the Shenzhen carbon market was affected by both policy uncertainties, and the price volatility in the Guangdong and Hubei carbon markets was not affected by policy uncertainties. The above research conclusions are helpful for regulatory agencies and policymakers to assess the future direction of the pilot carbon market and provide an empirical basis for preventing and resolving policy risks. At the same time, the proposed GARCH-MIDAS model effectively solves the inconsistent frequency problem of policy uncertainty and carbon price volatility, providing a new perspective for the study of factors affecting carbon market volatility. Full article
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18 pages, 1243 KiB  
Article
A Bibliometric Analysis of Carbon Allowances in the Carbon Emissions Trading Market
by Ziyu Li and Bangjun Wang
Energies 2025, 18(1), 57; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18010057 - 27 Dec 2024
Viewed by 773
Abstract
The carbon emissions trading market is an important policy tool for the implementation of the “double carbon” goal, and the study of carbon emission quotas is an important topic for promoting green transformation, energy savings, and emission reduction in enterprises. This paper surveys [...] Read more.
The carbon emissions trading market is an important policy tool for the implementation of the “double carbon” goal, and the study of carbon emission quotas is an important topic for promoting green transformation, energy savings, and emission reduction in enterprises. This paper surveys the development and construction history of China’s carbon trading market, uses the VOS-viewer measurement tool to analyze the keywords co-occurrence and evolution trend of the literature about the carbon trading market from 2005 to 2024, analyzes the research hotspots, and reviews the principles of the initial carbon quota allocation, carbon quota distribution methods, and the carbon trading market carbon quota mechanism under the model construction, etc. The following conclusions can be drawn: (1) The most commonly used principles for allocating initial carbon quota are the principle of equity, the principle of efficiency, and the principle of synthesis. The equity principle focuses on the capacities and burdens of different participants; the efficiency principle maximizes incentives for participants to reduce carbon emissions; the comprehensive principle allocates carbon allowances from the perspective of enterprises, with less consideration for social responsibility and economic benefits. (2) In terms of carbon quota allocation, the initial quota should be gradually tightened, and the proportion of paid quotas should be increased. (3) The types of participants in the carbon emission reduction supply chain model are relatively simple. This paper analyzes the current situation of the research on carbon emission quota, discusses its development rules and problems, and puts forward theoretical and practical suggestions for the better development and construction of China’s unified carbon market in the future. Full article
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17 pages, 3079 KiB  
Article
Optimized Scheduling Model Considering the Demand Response and Sequential Requirements of Polysilicon Production
by Xi Wang, Baorui Chen, Yuduo Xiao, Siyang Liao, Xi Ye and Jiayu Bai
Energies 2024, 17(23), 6048; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17236048 - 2 Dec 2024
Viewed by 848
Abstract
The polysilicon production process has significant potential to be made adjustable, and actively changing its production schedule to participate in grid dispatch can effectively alleviate the pressure on the power supply and balance demand while promoting renewable energy consumption. Considering the complex inter-coupling [...] Read more.
The polysilicon production process has significant potential to be made adjustable, and actively changing its production schedule to participate in grid dispatch can effectively alleviate the pressure on the power supply and balance demand while promoting renewable energy consumption. Considering the complex inter-coupling relationship between the sequential requirements and adjustable potential of polysilicon production, this paper analyzes the electricity consumption characteristics of various stages of a polysilicon production process that uses the improved Siemens method as its primary approach to production. The interaction between the polysilicon production process, equipment, and materials is modeled through the state–task network method, and the production timing requirements are transformed into constraint expressions. An optimized scheduling model that includes the production’s sequential requirements within a time-of-use electricity pricing context is established. Our analysis shows that the proposed model can formulate a feasible production plan with the lowest power purchase cost for polysilicon plants while meeting the production’s sequential requirements and product order demands. Full article
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24 pages, 3323 KiB  
Article
Empirical Analysis of Inter-Zonal Congestion in the Italian Electricity Market Using Multinomial Logistic Regression
by Mahmood Hosseini Imani
Energies 2024, 17(23), 5901; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17235901 - 25 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1061
Abstract
The increasing integration of renewable energy sources (RESs) into the Italian electricity market has heightened inter-zonal congestion challenges as power flows vary across importing and exporting zones. Utilizing a Multinomial Logistic Regression model as an empirical approach, this study investigates the key factors [...] Read more.
The increasing integration of renewable energy sources (RESs) into the Italian electricity market has heightened inter-zonal congestion challenges as power flows vary across importing and exporting zones. Utilizing a Multinomial Logistic Regression model as an empirical approach, this study investigates the key factors driving inter-zonal congestion between zonal pairs from 2021 to 2023, focusing on how local and neighboring zones’ RES generation (wind, solar, and hydropower) and demand dynamics impact congestion probabilities. The findings reveal that increased local RES generation generally reduces the likelihood of congestion for importing regions but increases it for exporting zones. Specifically, higher wind and solar production in importing zones like CNOR and CSUD alleviates congestion by reducing the need for imports, while in exporting zones, such as NORD and CALA, increased RES generation can exacerbate congestion due to higher export volumes. Hydropower production shows similar trends, with local production mitigating congestion in importing zones but increasing it in exporting zones. In addition to the effects of local generation and demand within each zonal pair, the generation and demand from neighboring zones also have a notable and statistically significant impact. Although their marginal effects tend to be smaller, the contributions from neighboring zones are essential for comprehending the overall congestion dynamics. These insights underscore the need for strategic RES placement to enhance market efficiency and minimize congestion risks across the Italian zonal electricity market. Full article
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