ECA INSIGHTS >

Chile was an exemplar to the world in its introduction of liberalised power markets in the 1980s, even before the UK. It is now part of…
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Britain’s political parties have been in a race to declare increasingly ambitious carbon targets in the run-up to the election. But what matters most is…
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UK government policy is now targeting zero carbon emissions by 2050. This requires specific interventions…
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Unexpected and disruptive market events are regularly being linked with fundamental market shifts such as high levels of intermittent generation. These links are often…
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The landscape for electricity networks is changing rapidly to a more decentralised, decarbonised and digitised future…
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Corporate Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) have mainly been used for renewables in competitive markets in the EU and the US, but they can be used to introduce a limited form of competition in countries that do not…
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For years, Lebanon’s national power utility has not had enough capacity to meet demand and has had high costs and low tariffs. Reducing the resulting fiscal burden is a high priority for…
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National Grid has legally separated out electricity system operation. In the press, this is hailed as the opportunity to make generation zero carbon – surely the separation was unnecessary for that. What is needed is…
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The first (non-binding) market test for Gastrade’s proposed floating LNG terminal in Northern Greece drew capacity bids of 12.2 bcm per year, more than twice its planned technical capacity…
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Negative wholesale electricity prices are an increasingly common occurrence in European markets. Although a logical consequence of competitive market forces at play, negative prices are in breach of ENTSO-E guidelines…
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The question posed in the title is deliberately paradoxical – self-sufficiency must surely always be the enemy of expanding trade in electricity. Apparently not: self-sufficiency in generation capacity (MW) can be what unlocks political acceptance of expanding trade in electrical energy (GWh)…
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Rooftop solar is booming in both developed and developing countries. Rooftop solar reduces greenhouse gas and other emissions from conventional power generation. However…
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The EU’s updated Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) retains Article 7, which requires Member States to implement an Energy Efficiency Obligation (EEO) scheme, or eligible Alternative Measures, capable of delivering a set quantity of energy savings via energy efficiency measures…
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Electricity storage devices are widely expected to become the must-have add-on to electricity systems increasingly supplied by intermittent renewables.
As battery technology has rapidly come down in price…
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Hydropower is the largest source of renewable energy in the world, accounting for around 71% of all renewable electricity. It is expected to play a critical role in…
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European legislation foresees a solidarity gas agreement between member states in case of a supply disruption…
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In Lusaka, health and environmental hazards have been…
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Electricity transmission networks are natural monopolies and traditionally have been handled by a single national (or in larger countries, provincial) state-owned company or…
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The closure of GB’s largest gas storage facility (Rough) led to concerns among market observers and participants of supply shortages and increased GB gas price volatility…
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The recently announced merger between the supply businesses of npower and SSE is in stark contrast to the emergence of much smaller suppliers including municipal energy offerings…
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