About
Dr. Rolando Fuentes was a research fellow focusing on business and regulatory models for the Utilities of the Future project. He has extensive experience in the energy and environmental sectors as an academic and policymaker. Rolando was the director of international negotiations at the Mexican Ministry of Energy and later became director of hydrocarbons projects. Before joining the Mexican government, he was a fellow of the London School of Economics, where he lectured and taught courses in Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Policy, and supervised master’s dissertations. Rolando has also been an associate of the Oxford Institute of Energy Studies and IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates (IHS CERA), and was a recipient of the British Chevenning Scholarship in 2001.
Publications
28 March 2024
Identifying Leaders in Electricity Innovation Networks Using Twitter (X): A Resource for Policymaking
The objective of this study is to map the innovation network in the electricity sector and to identify its pivotal actors to inform policymaking, particularly in Saudi Arabia. This study, which is part of a larger series, aims to identify emerging technologies, antic...
into innovation.
27 September 2021
How Can Energy Storage Catalyze the Electricity Policies of Gulf Cooperation Council Members? Issues and OptionsSaudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members are working in parallel to reform their electricity markets and achieve ambitious renewable energy deployment goals. The motivation for this agenda is multifaceted, and increasing economic efficiency is one of several reas...
25 November 2020
Distribution Networks Tariff Design in the Era of Decentralization: A Business Model Approach
In this paper we discuss the unexplored two-way relationship between distribution network tariff design and the emergence of new business models in the power sector. Distribution network tariffs have traditionally used a cost accounting method. We suggest, instead, the use of a busin...
21 July 2019
Using Insurance to Manage Reliability in the Distributed Electricity Sector: Insights From an Agent-Based Model
- The purchase of insurance would help most consumers avoid a complete loss of power. Our simulations show that of those households that would otherwise experience a complete loss of power, on average between 1% and 15% can fully cover their excess energy needs through insurance. Betw...
26 November 2018
Reorganizing Power Markets: A Reliability Insurance Business Model for UtilitiesIn this paper, we propose a market mechanism that may ameliorate this potential distortion based on the creation of a market for risk. Utilities would provide reliability insurance services to households to protect them against the failure of their own DER systems. Creating such an i...
05 October 2016
Is Unbundling Electricity Services the Way Forward for the Power Sector?High penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs) will lead to further fragmentation of the power sector, both in the services offered and its value chain. The ‘‘local’’ component of energy policies will probably become increasingly important.
08 September 2016
The Renewable Energy Policy ParadoxOne major avenue for policymakers to meet climate targets is by decarbonizing the power sector, one component of which is raising the share of renewable energy sources (renewables) in electricity generation. However, promoting renewables in liberalized power markets creates a paradox...
15 May 2016
Can Adoption of Rooftop Solar PV Panels Trigger a Utility Death Spiral?The growing penetration of distributed energy resources (DER) such as solar and wind power is causing major changes in the electricity market. One key concern is that existing tariffs incentivize ‘free riding’ behavior by households, which leads to a cycle of rising electricity price...
12 December 2024
How to Create a Hydrogen Market? Lessons from Electricity and Gas Markets on Pricing and Investment ApproachesTo promote low-carbon hydrogen, which is produced in a way that results in no or near-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, for decarbonization, substantial investments are required across the hydrogen value chain. Despite the potential of hydrogen in several applications, various unc...
09 December 2024
A Maritime Sector in Transition – Learning from Other Sectoral Energy TransitionsThe maritime sector currently contributes approximately 2.3% of global CO₂ emissions, with projections suggesting that this share could rise to 10%-13% by 2050, highlighting an urgent need for decarbonization. In response to the potentially catastrophic impacts of climate change, the...
