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Electrical power price variability for fourteen deregulated markets is examined. Price velocity, which means the daily average of the absolute value of price change per hour, is used to measure power price volatility.

Power price in deregulated markets shows fundamentally different patterns even though they have a common economic base. Deregulated power markets create a different incentive for a consumer to time shift power consuming activities as they differ in maximum and minimum daily average price and in average weekday to weekend price.

Issues regarding the commercial viability and growth of the alternative fuels market are examined here, using Canada's attempt at gaining public acceptance of compressed natural gas in the mid-1980s. Factors inhibiting that market's development included: poor profitability; scarcity of refueling facilities; excessive markup on parts; etc.