Send us your thoughts! It’s been one year since Europe’s day-ahead power market moved from hourly to 15-minute trading in order to help integrate renewables, boost liquidity in the day-ahead market and improve supply security. So, has the shift delivered what it promised? This week on Plugged In, we look at how the change has reshaped Europe’s power markets — from shifting liquidity and the distinctive “sawtooth” price pattern to better integration of renewables and new opportunities for flex...
Oct 1
32 min
Send us your thoughts! With European gas storage levels relatively low, periods of cold temperatures, weak wind or low rainfall could have an outsized impact on gas and power prices. In this episode of Plugged In, we look at the key weather patterns to watch in the months ahead and what they could mean for Europe’s energy system. How could El Niño shape the European winter? Could a weakening polar vortex raise the risk of colder weather later in the season? And what happens to power markets w...
Sep 24
30 min
Send us your thoughts! The rules that have underpinned global shipping and energy trade for decades are coming under increasing strain. From the Strait of Hormuz and the Black Sea to the Baltic and the Arctic, geopolitical tensions are raising risks for shipping, supply chains and energy markets. Recorded in Svalbard, this episode looks at what a more fragmented and dangerous maritime landscape means for global energy security. The discussion explores how the Iran war has changed LNG trade, w...
Sep 17
29 min
Send us your thoughts! Europe is heading into winter with gas storage well below comfortable levels, LNG supplies under pressure and the Strait of Hormuz crisis adding further uncertainty to an already tight market. Could a cold winter push European gas prices to EUR 150/MWh? And with Europe increasingly competing for LNG on the global market, how exposed is the continent to another energy price shock? This week, we discuss Europe's gas balance, the race for LNG, the impact of continued disru...
Sep 10
32 min
Send us your thoughts! Batteries are emerging as one of the big winners from Europe’s increasingly volatile power markets. In this episode, we look at how huge amounts of solar generation are driving down midday power prices before sharp evening peaks create opportunities for battery storage. The discussion explores who profits from these price swings, whether batteries could begin to displace gas-fired generation, the shift towards larger and longer-duration storage, and whether a rapidly ex...
Sep 3
30 min
Send us your thoughts! The Strait of Hormuz crisis has reshaped the outlook for global energy markets, with uncertainty over LNG flows, European gas storage and geopolitical risk hanging over the months ahead. In this episode, we look at how the conflict has affected oil and gas markets, whether disruption through Hormuz has become a lasting feature of global energy trade, and why Europe could face a tight autumn and winter; particularly on price, even if outright gas shortages remained unlik...
Aug 27
32 min
Send us your thoughts! Reservoir levels in southern Norway are at their lowest for 30 years raising concerns about power prices in the months ahead and the Nordic region’s ability to balance domestic needs with exports to neighbouring markets. In this episode of Plugged In, we examine the state of Nordic hydropower, the outlook for reservoir refilling and what current weather patterns could mean for power markets in the months ahead. The discussion explores the role of interconnectors, changi...
Aug 20
26 min
Send us your thoughts! Extreme heat and drought are putting Europe’s power system under pressure on close to an annual basis. Low river levels and high water temperatures are constraining nuclear and hydropower generation, just as demand for cooling rises. Meanwhile, solar has emerged as a bright spot — providing a quarter of the EU’s power mix in June and helping meet increased daytime demand. In this episode of Plugged In, we look at how extreme weather is reshaping Europe’s power mar...
Aug 13
32 min
Send us your thoughts! After a summer spent exploring the technologies, markets and policies shaping Europe's energy transition, the final episode of the Plugged In Summer Series asks one key final question: is the green shift slowing down, or speeding up? Richard is joined by two expert academics. David Reiner of the University of Cambridge and Michael Grubb of University College London to explore what's next for the energy transition. Together, they assess how geopolitical instability...
Aug 6
28 min
Send us your thoughts! Artificial intelligence is transforming the global economy at extraordinary speed, but it's also creating one of the biggest new sources of electricity demand Europe has faced in decades. As hyperscale data centres continue to expand, are Europe's power systems, grids and energy markets ready to keep pace? In this episode of the Plugged In Summer Series, we explore what the AI boom means for the energy transition. The discussion centres around power supply and how grid ...
Jul 30
30 min
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