Greening is and remains an important topic in the energy market. The offer of electricity from sun and wind is clearly reflected in the price. In order to generate more green electricity, considerable investments are needed in the grid and there are a number of snags involved. In addition, in the current market situation, we could consider whether the existing coal-fired power stations should no longer be open.
The weather is an important factor in determining the price of electricity. That is also the case this week. The relatively stable weather ensures limited price fluctuations on the EPEX Spot quotation. On Thursday, March 24, the quotation peaked at €242,03 per MWh, before returning to €182,67 per MWh on Saturday, March 26. This means that the difference between the highest and lowest prices over the past seven days is relatively small. As usual for weekdays, the price has now risen again. The quotation closed on Monday, March 28, at €215,85 per MWh.
However, the greening of the electricity supply is not without its challenges. The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has in a letter Minister Rob Jetten of Climate and Energy reported that the problems on the grid are increasing. ACM assesses the plans of the gas and electricity network operators every two years. ACM expects that grid operators will not be able to expand the electricity grid sufficiently quickly to meet the rising and changing demand. The grid operators want to work on the expansion, but are confronted with various factors. One of the most important is a shortage of skilled technical personnel. In addition, a shortage of materials and the long and complex permit processes also play a role.
Targeted approach
The grid operators themselves called on Wednesday, March 23, to accelerate the introduction of new rules to use the grid smarter and more efficiently. Research agency CE Delft has investigated the possibilities for this. Technologies - such as energy storage - can be stimulated with smart financial incentives. In total, researchers have developed eight policy measures. The task of strengthening the net remains. But different rules allow new projects to be connected more quickly.
Energy expert Martien Visser advocates keeping the existing coal-fired power stations on the Maasvlakte longer and generating maximum energy. Every hour that the two power stations produce maximum energy saves 400.000 cubic meters of gas and we can use that gas to replenish our supplies for the coming winter. The current situation on the energy market requires such a measure. "We should not keep coal-fired power stations open for ten years, but to now go blindly into winter (without storage) seems a bit clumsy to me," says Visser at Rijnmond.