Do commodity-style electricity markets ever result in lower end-user prices?

[abcem]

This thread is essentially asking the question above. Do commodity-style electricity markets ever result in lower end-user prices?

I understand that the issue of why or why not electricity exchanges are a good idea has to do with much more than this facet of the issue. I understand that there are infrastructural efficiencies that, from an end-user's perspective, can result in more consistant delivery of power, so price is not the only concern. With that in mind, does anyone here have a solid answer to this q?

 

[waltky]

Granny makes her `lectrical from corn mash...

94% of Electricity in 2013 Came from Reactors, Dams and Fossil Fuels
March 28, 2014 -- Ninety-four percent of the electricity generated in the United States in 2013 came from nuclear reactors, dams, and fossil fuels--including petroleum, natural gas, other gases, and coal--according to a new report from the U.S. government’s Energy Information Administration.

Only 0.2 percent of U.S. electricity during the year came from solar-power sources, and another 4.1 percent came from wind power. In total, the United States generated a net of 4,058,209 million kilowatthours of electricity in 2013. That was up slightly—0.26 percent--from the 4,047,765 million KWH generated in 2012. But it remained less than 4,156,745 million KWH generated in 2007, which remains the peak year for U.S. electricity generation.

Coal-fired electricity production, which rebounded last year after two years of decline, was the nation’s leading source of electricity in 2013. It produced 1,585,998 million KWH—up 4.8 percent from the 1,514,043 million KWH produced in 2012. Coal-produced electricity in 2013 was still down 21.3 percent from its peak in 2007, when coal plants in the United States produced 2,016,456 million KWH.

In 2013, natural gas was the second greatest source of U.S. electricity, producing 1,113,665 million KWH. Nuclear power plants were the third largest source, producing 789,017 million KWH. And conventional hydroelectric power was the fourth greatest source, producing 269,136 million KWH hours. Wood-burning electricity sources actually out-produced solar power. With wood generating 39,937 million KWH of electricity in 2013 and solar producing 9,252 million KWH.

Wind power was the fifth greatest source of electricity in the U.S.—following hyrdroelectric—generating 167,665 million KWH. The combined output from all wind and solar power sources in the United States was 176,917 million KWH—or about 4.36 percent of the nation’s total supply. The U.S. would have to multiply its present solar and wind power resources 26 times in order to produce the total volume of electricity generated in the country last year.

94% of Electricity in 2013 Came from Reactors, Dams and Fossil Fuels | CNS News