Integrating renewable energy resources in electricity distribution systems—A firm-level efficiency analysis for Sweden controlling for weather conditions
研究了瑞典配电系统运营商在整合可再生能源过程中，分布式发电和天气条件对其成本效率的影响，发现分布式发电提升效率，天气主要影响短期效率。
Sweden is at the forefront of the transition of its energy sector to low-carbon technologies with profound consequences for both energy generation and its distribution. However, the impact of this transition on the performance of Electricity Distribution System Operators (DSOs) has not been thoroughly studied. The article addresses this gap by using a novel approach and detailed georeferenced firm-level, weather, and regional data in Sweden from 2014 to 2019. Our findings indicate that (i) an increase in the number of small-scale feeders and (ii) a higher degree of decentralized energy production (decentralization) both improve DSOs’ cost efficiencies. Additionally, we demonstrate that DSOs have adapted well to long-term weather variability. These results have significant implications for the effective implementation of renewable energy policies. • Successful integration of renewable energy into DSOs existing grids in Sweden is discussed. • Integration of decentralized generation shown to positively impact DSOs’ cost efficiency. • Weather conditions found to mainly affect short-term cost efficiency. • Demonstrated that geo-referenced data can enhance regulatory benchmarking.