Techno-economic comparison of centralized and distributed power generation to support large-scale transport electrification in Costa Rica

The rapid fall of photovoltaic generation and battery storage costs can pave the way for future distributed power systems. However, transitioning from centralized to distributed systems has economic implications for different power sector stakeholders: incumbent energy firms, new distributed generation investors, and consumers. Consumers can significantly increase demand by adopting electric transport, a crucial component of decarbonization. In turn, investors and firms will need to provide the capital and operating capability to supply more power, even for self-consumption. In this paper, the authors develop a methodology to assess the future average price of electricity for two fundamentally different systems: one based on utility-scale projects and another based on distributed generation. They also evaluate how prices affect the financial benefits of energy sector investors and transport users that result from transport electrification. They apply the methodology to Costa Rica's transport electrification objectives, a middle-income country with vast renewable generation capacity with pledges to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. They find that the future unit costs of solar and wind generation with energy storage infrastructure affect electricity prices more than other uncertainties. In turn, prices have a high correlation with transport benefits. They also find that low discount rates produce high benefits and low electricity prices.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2022.12.009
• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X22003444
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/29485010
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Victor-Gallardo, Luis
  • 0000-0003-4496-1615
  • Quirós-Tortós, Jairo
• Publication Date: 2023-2

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 120-138
• Serial:
  • Transport Policy
  • Volume: 131
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0967-070X
  • Serial URL: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/issn/096707X

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Electric power generation; Electric vehicles; Financial analysis; Prices
• Geographic Terms: Costa Rica
• Subject Areas: Energy; Finance; Highways; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01870791
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 24 2023 9:29AM