[en] The Slovak Member Committee of the World Energy Council (SMC WEC) was created in 1993 after splitting of former Czecho-Slovakia. In 1923 Czecho-Slovakia belonged to the founders of the World Energy Council. At present there are 25 members from every energy and energy industry field. They cover about 90% of energy production in Slovakia. A page of SMC WEC is available on Internet pages of Slovak Energy Agency

[en] A large scale deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) is likely to contribute to a more sustainable transport system. However, charging EVs will increase the load on the electricity network. The maximum load may be minimized by coordinating the timing of charging activities, in order to spread electricity demand more equally over the course of a day. In this study, based on a stated-choice experiment, the effects of two different temporal price differentiation strategies on stated charging time are investigated, including socio-demographic, behavioural and socio-psychological variables. In a situation without charging time coordination, a peak in charging events is likely to occur during the early evening. Temporal price differentiation has a significant influence on charging time and in particular the level of price differentiation matters. The likelihood to change charging time differs and different alternative time slots are chosen when comparing high to low levels of price differentiation. People that have more knowledge about EVs have a higher chance to change their charging time, whereas people that have the tendency to plan their trips long time beforehand are less likely to adjust their charging time in the scenarios with temporal price differentiation. - Highlights: • Preferred charging time of electric vehicles is in the early evening. • Temporal price differentiation significantly influences charging time decisions. • Different levels of price differentiation stimulate different behavioural responses.

[en] In this paper Mr. Gasparovic, the Slovak Republic President, invited this publication. He deals with the reforms of the power sector in European power industry as well as with ecological consequences of power resource operations

[en] In this paper, the author provides an overview of US electric markets for the next ten years. In addition to outlining a forecast for these markets, he summarizes the challenges ahead and indicates the diverse roles to be played by both old and new participants in the electric industry. Bechtel's ''base case forecast'' is for 2.0 percent per year average increase in peak electric demand. They anticipate this demand forecast could range between 1.5 and 2.5 percent per year. This forecast assumes successful load management and conservation at the same rate experienced over the last ten years. Such an assumption takes into account both price elasticity and programmatic factors

[en] Liberalisation of the electricity market has taken place in most European countries within the last decade. It is considered a precondition of successful liberalisation to establish so-called independent regulatory authorities. In this article, we compare the status and practice of them in 16 European countries, and discuss the relationship between the organisation of the regulation and the market outcome

[en] The focus of this report is on network planning in the new environment of a liberalized electricity market. The development of the network is viewed from different stakeholders objectives. The stakeholders in the transmission network are groups or individuals who have a stake in, or an expectation of the development and performance of the network. An open network exists when all market players meet equal admission rights and obligations. This required that the grid be administered through a transparent set of rules such as a grid code. (author)

[en] The introduction of competition into retail electricity supply gave rise to great expectations. However, to date, its performance has proven less than stellar, owing primarily to the theoretical concepts underpinning this reform, which draw heavily on the Austrian school. Neither consumers' decision processes nor this sector's technical paradigm were adequately accounted for, leading to an uncorrect estimation of the expected impact of opening to competition. Short- and medium-term prospects for the evolution of retail markets must be reconsidered from the perspective of greater stability: not a generalization of competition, but rather a persistent segmentation between active and inactive clients; not a large and rapid diffusion of radical innovations in commercialisation, with the potential for undermining the incumbents' positions. (author)

[en] This article attempts to demonstrate and illustrate important relationships between the concept of the independent economic regulator and the evolution of emerging nation electric power sectors from patterns of government dominance that have undermined both their efficiency and their receptivity to substantial private sector involvement. It re-emphasizes the important relationships between industry structure, competition, market mechanisms and regulation; and the important distinctions between the different roles government can and should play in the power sector in different stages of evolution -as owner, manager, regulator and political policy maker. It seeks to put content and meaning into the concept of the independent regulator in the broader context of power sector reform. It distills from the experience of those countries with developed regulatory systems a series of practical guidelines or principles that may be helpful in the design and implementation of regulatory regimes for electricity and other infrastructural industries in emerging nations in the process of transformation from government dominated monopolies. (author)

[en] In 1992, Sweden prepared itself for deregulation by transforming Vattenfall, the country's main supplier of energy, from a public utility into a limited liability company. Vattenfall was still 100% owned by the state, but began to operate as a commercial entity with a separate board of directors. On January 1, 1996, Sweden and Finland deregulated, and the three Nordic countries - Norway, Sweden and Denmark - became a completely open market. Beginning November 1, 1999, Sweden will introduce simplified metering, bringing competition directly to consumers, which represents the purest and most advanced form of electricity competition, forcing Vattenfall and its peers to fight for the loyalty of customers from the smallest retail household upwards. As a central participant in deregulation, Vattenfall was faced with some major challenges. In essence, Vattenfall had to evolve from a parochial Swedish public utility into a pan-European energy services company. The transition was successful and Vattenfall today represents about 20% of Scandinavia's generation capacity, with operations that are about 1/2 the size of those of Ontario Hydro. Vattenfall had to take a number of steps to get ready for a fully competitive retail market. First it established a market oriented group organization based on three units: Vattenfall Electricity Generation, Vattenfall Energy Market, and Vattenfall Electricity Networks and Services. Second it expanded its relationship with its customers. Third it adjusted to the fact that electricity deregulation led to an immediate generation surplus. The main lessons learned from the experience are summarized

[en] With the ongoing changes in the power industry worldwide, electricity is beginning to be traded like other commodities. The use of financial derivative instruments in power markets is on the rise. The purpose of this paper is to explain the role of these derivatives in risk management which is vital for survival in the increasingly competitive industry. Starting with the familiar cash markets, the paper discusses the basics of futures, options, and swap markets as applied to electric energy trading