In February 2021, Texas experienced an extreme cold snap causing a dramatic electricity blackout that left millions of households without electricity, resulting in over 200 fatalities and economic damages of approximately $100 billion. The Texas blackout has been used to support a variety of claims regarding renewable energy, electricity markets and climate change. We identify the blackout’s drivers and what has been learned since then. These lessons apply to power systems worldwide, including those of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the broader Middle East and North Africa region.

Senior Research Associate Marie is a senior research associate in the Energy Transitions and Electric Power program at KAPSARC. Her current research focuses… Marie is a senior research associate in the Energy Transitions and Electric Power program at KAPSARC. Her current research focuses include power system modeling and market designs for energy transitions. Prior to joining KAPSARC, Marie worked as a research engineer within the Research and Development (R&D) unit of the utility group EDF in Paris, France. During her EDF journey, she worked on long-term and short-term electricity market design, transmission grids at the European scale, 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
- Electricity Markets
- Energy Transition
- Energy and Climate Policy
Publications See all Marie Petitet’s publications

One Year After the Texas Blackout: Lessons for Reliable and Resilient Power Systems
In February 2021, Texas experienced an extreme cold snap causing a dramatic electricity blackout that…
14th June 2022
Why is the EU Carbon Price at a Record €60 per Tonne?
In February 2021, Texas experienced an extreme cold snap causing a dramatic electricity blackout that…
1st March 2022