Electricity markets are structurally different to othercommodities, and the real-time dynamic balancing of the electricitynetwork involves many external factors. Because of this, it is nota simple matter to transfer conventional models of financial timeseries analysis to wholesale electricity prices.

The rationale for this compilation of chapters from internationalauthors is, therefore, to provide econometric analysis of wholesalepower markets around the world, to give greater understanding oftheir particular characteristics, and to assess the applicabilityof various methods of price modelling.

Researchers and professionals in this sector will find the book aninvaluable guide to the most important state-of-the-art modellingtechniques which are converging to define the special approachesnecessary for unravelling and forecasting the behaviour ofelectricity prices. It is a high-quality synthesis of the work offinancial engineering, industrial economics and power systemsanalysis, as they relate to the behaviour of competitiveelectricity markets.

DEREK W. BUNN is currently Professor and Chairman of the Decision Sciences subject area and Director of the Energy MarketsGroup at the London Business School, having held previous appointments at Oxford and Stanford universities. As a prominent international advisor on energy economics, he has consulted formany global energy companies and advised a number of government agencies. Author of over 150 research papers and 9 books in theareas of forecasting, decision analysis and energy economics, hehas also been chief editor of the Journal of Forecasting since 1984. His research and practical involvement with the electricity sector extends back over 25 years experience.