Dunkelflaute Pushes German Electricity Prices To Crisis Levels, Drains Gas Reserves
by Ignacio Fariza Dec 13, 2024
Dunkelflaute is a cursed word in the German electricity sector.
The combination, typical of cold anticyclones, of low temperatures (which increase demand), and the almost total absence of wind (which hinders wind generation) configures one of the worst possible scenarios for the price of electricity: it forces the burning of more gas in combined cycle plants, which are much more expensive, and that substantially increases the bill. [emphasis, links added]
This dreaded cocktail, which is currently hitting Central Europe, is leading the price of electricity in Europe’s largest economy to levels not seen since the energy crisis.
German consumers will have to pay an average of €395 ($415) per megawatt-hour (MWh) on Thursday, the highest value since December 2022 at the height of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and when fears about European natural gas supplies were more than justified.
https://climatechangedispatch.com/dunkelflaute-pushes-german-electricity-prices-to-crisis-levels-drains-gas-reserves/
