Abstract

South Africas Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Program has run four competitive tenders/auctions since 2011, which have seen US$19 billion in private investment, and electricity prices of wind power falling by 46% and solar PV electricity prices by 71%, in nominal terms. Competitive tenders were introduced after an unsuccessful attempt to implement feed-in tariffs. The tenders incorporated standard, nonnegotiable contract documents, including 20-year Power Purchase Agreements and an Implementation Agreement whereby the Government of South Africa back-stops IPP payments by the national utility, Eskom. All of these projects have reached financial close to date and some are already delivering power to the grid. The financing success has been due in part to the requirements for commercial banks to undertake a thorough due diligence of projects prior to bids being offered. The details of the policy package described may be useful for other policy makers in countries developing policies for renewable energy deployment.

Abstract

This paper considers second-best pricing as it arises through incomplete coverage of full networks. The main principles are first reviewed by considering the classic two-route problem and some extensions that have been studied more recently. In most of these studies the competing routes are assumed to be perfect substitutes, which is probably not the case for most parallel roads in reality, and even less likely for the case where competing connections represent different transport modes. In this paper a modelling framework in which the alternatives are imperfect substitutes is developed and numerical results for two roads and two modes are presented. In the model, trip generation and trip distribution are distinguished in a way that is consistent with economic theory. The model is used to consider situations in which one route or mode cannot be tolled. Simulation results show that, for the chosen parameter values, there is a substantial difference between the effec! tiveness of policies in which the capacities have to be taken as given, and those in which capacity of at least one mode can be changed. A striking feature of the policy in which the capacities of both modes/routes and the railway fare/toll on one road can be used as policy instruments is the existence of two equilibria for a range of values of â. In one equilibrium there are substantial numbers of users of both modes, whereas in the other use of one mode is negligible

Abstract

Creative Commons Attribution License [EN] In this paper, we analyze the current Spanish tariff system as applied by low-temperature distribution companies on transport in part loads of perishable freight that are destined to Spain’s main European export markets. Using 2008 data that have been directly obtained from a sample of transport companies, the price structure is formulated by making a distinction between ordinary and final prices and their respective variables. Next, the price structure is compared to the mean production costs. According to our calculations, we can state that the tariffs of distribution companies depend on the mean total cost, and they are estimated by using final prices calculated expressly for every customer. Finally, this paper outlines directions for future empirical work. [ES] Este trabajo analiza el sistema de tarificación aplicado en España por los operadores logísticos de frío (OLF) en el transporte de alimentos perecederos en carga fraccionada con destino a los principales mercados europeos de exportación. A partir de datos recabados en una muestra de OLF, se formula un modelo que posibilita la identificación de los componentes que integran el precio final. El análisis econométrico distingue en qué medida son relevantes dichos componentes y constata que los OLF tarifican según el coste total medio, empleando precios finales que calculan expresamente para cada cliente, dado que hay demandas de distinta intensidad a lo largo del año y trayectos con diferencias acusadas en los costes de producción. Andrés González-Moralejo, S. (2012). Refrigeration logistics operations and perishable transport costs in groupage loads: an application for Spanish exports in Europe. Ciencia e Investigación Agraria. 39(2):265-278. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/59741 S 265 278 39 2 Document type: Article

Abstract

Characteristics and economic data of the information market come from various sources and are somewhat mixed. Specific aspects and products discussed are the valuation of the global information market, corporate acquisitions, major scientific publishers, publishing markets (countries), cost of WoK and Scopus databases, revaluation of economic information since the 2008 crisis, journal price increases, open access market, evolution of computing costs (Moore’s Law) and major vendors.

Abstract

A review of the major characteristics of e-books, both as reading appliances and as content, includes a description of advantages and disadvantages, functionality, intellectual property, acceptance, market, and other considerations. The multiple different formats, devices and prices, and the absence of an important social base of users of this kind of device dedicated only to reading, make the e-book a product with a still uncertain future.