Enable a Carbon Efficient Power Grid via Minimal Uplift Payments

The COVID-19 has slowed down global economic growth. Meanwhile, it also significantly cuts the global carbon emission, which provides a golden opportunity for the whole world to combat the climate change together. While the former policies (e.g., the CAFE standards, renewable portfolio standards, etc.) have reduced certain level of fossil fuel consumption, the most effective measures (such as carbon tax, cap-and-trade programs) are still far from ready for global implementation. This paper investigates an alternative way to achieve a more carbon efficient power grid using the uplift payment scheme. Specifically, we propose an effective algorithm to guarantee carbon efficiency with minimal uplift payments. We also submit that this scheme provides more flexibility to realize carbon reduction than carbon tax, which is exemplified by thorough numerical studies. Furthermore, we show that the stability of the power grid can be ensured under our uplift payment scheme, both from theoretical analysis and numerical studies. The results strengthen our belief that our uplift payment scheme is practicable for carbon reduction in the electricity market.