PESD's new research on "Solar Lighting and Phone Charging in East Africa: Understanding Adoption, Business Model, and Development Outcomes" was awarded funding from the Freeman Spogli Institute's Global Underdevelopment Action Fund.

1.5 billion people worldwide lack access to electricity, severely impeding economic development and income generating activities.  The electricity access problem is most severe in sub-Saharan Africa, where it affects 700 million inhabitants. 

Rapid adoption of mobile phones has created even stronger incentives for low-income households to obtain the electricity needed to charge phones.  The emergence of businesses providing solar lighting and charging solutions could help satisfy that need. 

PESD’s research will study the factors that drive adoption of these solar lighting and charging technologies, the business models that are successful in delivering them on a commercial basis, and the development outcomes that derive from their use.

FSI’s venture fund was launched in the Summer of 2010 to help fund new research projects addressing global underdevelopment and poverty alleviation.  To date, the Action fund has contributed a total of $701,000 to these projects.

Wolak's presentation focused on assessing the market performance impacts of the recent implementation of convergence (or virtual) bidding in the California wholesale electricity market.  

Frank diagnosed possible causes of the adverse market outcomes related to convergence bidding and suggested possible market design changes to address them.  He also chaired a panel discussion on the progress of the implementation AB 32, California’s greenhouse emissions permit cap and trade program.  This panel focused on current implementation challenges and trading activity in advance of the market opening.

This conference brought together more than 100 participants from all segments of the energy industry. 

Frank led a panel discussion on the state of Financial Transmission Rights (FTR) and Virtual Trading in wholesale electricity markets and gave a presentation on the design of structured energy hedging instruments for retail electricity consumers with interval meters.