Lessons From the European Electricity Crisis

Initiative Electricity Sector Transitions
Type Instant Insight
Date 20 February 2023

Abstract

On January 23, 2023, the European Commission initiated a public consultation to reform the European Union’s electricity market (European Commission 2023) on the heels of extremely high wholesale electricity prices in Europe in the last months and days of 2022. Negative spot prices, however, were recorded in a large number of European countries on January 1, 2023, including Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany and the United Kingdom. Despite the large variety in how power systems are organized worldwide, from fully integrated monopolies to liberalized systems, all countries can learn from Europe’s experience. In Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, liberalization and markets are being introduced progressively, and it is an opportune time to learn from experiences abroad.

Authors

Frank Felder

Program Director Frank is an engineer, energy policy analyst, and Program Director for Energy Transitions and Electric Power. Prior to joining KAPSARC,… Frank is an engineer, energy policy analyst, and Program Director for Energy Transitions and Electric Power. Prior to joining KAPSARC, Frank was a Research Professor at the School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, Director of the Rutgers Energy Institute, and Director of the Center for Energy, Economics and Environmental Policy. In those roles, he conducted original and applied research in the areas of electric power system modeling, clean energy policies, and climate change for academic foundations, government agencies, and energy utilities. He has also worked as an economic consultant and nuclear engineer.

Expertise

Energy Policy
Electricity Restructuring and Energy Modeling

Publications See all Frank Felder’s publications

An Overview of Integration Costs of Variable Renewables in the Power Sector

On January 23, 2023, the European Commission initiated a public consultation to reform the European…

4th September 2023

Making Electricity Capacity Markets Resilient to Extreme Weather Events

On January 23, 2023, the European Commission initiated a public consultation to reform the European…

14th August 2023

Marie Petitet

Research Lead Marie joined KAPSARC in 2021 as a research lead in the Utilities and Renewables program. Her current research focuses on…

Marie joined KAPSARC in 2021 as a research lead in the Utilities and Renewables program. Her current research focuses on power system modeling, market designs for energy transitions and framework analysis for reliable and resilient power systems.

Prior to joining KAPSARC, Marie worked as a research engineer within the Research and Development unit of the utility group EDF in Paris, France. During her EDF journey, she worked on long-term and short-term electricity market design, European transmission grids, and smart charging opportunities for electric vehicles. Marie also worked as a researcher within the market department of the French transmission system operator, RTE.

Marie holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Dauphine University, PSL (France), an M.Sc. in Environmental and Energy Economics from École des Ponts ParisTech (France), and an M.Sc. in Engineering from ENSTA Institut Polytechnique de Paris (France).

Expertise