Knowledge base
Your guide to a complex energy market.
Explanations of imbalance, flexibility, congestion and battery strategy, with the terms and sources you need to read market data correctly.
Guides by topic
Start with the topic you need
Each guide describes the terms, the sources and the assumptions that shape the outcome.
Electricity markets
Electricity markets trade power and flexibility for different delivery periods. Day-ahead, intraday and balancing each have their own prices and rules. Compare European markets by bidding zone, product and delivery period.
Updated 22 October 2026
Read the guideBalancing Markets
Balancing markets help system operators keep generation and demand in balance. Distinguish reserve capacity kept available from energy actually activated. FCR, aFRR and mFRR have different functions and participation requirements.
Updated 22 October 2026
Read the guideImbalance
Imbalance is the difference between a scheduled energy position and actual generation or consumption. Settlement rules and price signals vary by country and period. Imbalance, reserve and day-ahead prices measure different things.
Updated 22 October 2026
Read the guideCongestion
Grid congestion occurs when requested electricity transfers exceed available network capacity. It is specific to a location and time. Congestion management and energy prices serve different purposes; a low energy price does not guarantee spare network capacity.
Updated 22 October 2026
Read the guideFlexibility and Batteries
Flexibility is the ability to adjust generation, consumption or storage. Batteries shift energy through time within power, storage and network limits. Economic outcomes depend on prices, losses, costs and market access.
Updated 22 October 2026
Read the guideTop-Bottom Spreads
A top-bottom spread compares high and low prices within a selected period. Time resolution and the number of charging and discharging hours determine the result. A spread is not net battery revenue: losses, costs and physical constraints also matter.
Updated 22 October 2026
Read the guideMarket roles (BRP, BSP, CSP)
A BRP is financially responsible for imbalance. A BSP provides balancing services. CSP is a Dutch role for congestion services. Contracts, qualification and responsibilities vary by country, system operator and market product.
Updated 22 October 2026
Read the guideIn depth
Articles and background
Compare European electricity market data
A useful European market comparison starts with the same bidding zone, delivery period, unit and market definition. Day-ahead prices, intraday trading, reserve capacity and activated energy are different data.
Read the articleWhy Predictive Energy Analysis is Indispensable
Predicting what will happen with energy prices or how much electricity your solar panels will generate tomorrow? That’s called predictive energy analysis, and it’s indispensable nowadays. Imagine: it’s cloudy and little wind is expected. Then you know there will be less electricity available, and the price will probably rise. If you know this in advance, you can respond smartly.
Read the articleThe Power of Flexibility in the Energy Transition
In an energy market that is becoming increasingly volatile, the key to profit lies in flexibility. But what does flexibility actually mean in the energy world? Simply put: the ability to adjust your energy consumption or production to what is happening in the market at that moment. For example: when there is a lot of sun and wind, electricity is cheap. When it is dark and windless, electricity becomes more expensive. Those who store or use electricity at the right time can save money or even earn it.
Read the articleGrid Congestion: What Is It and How Do You Respond?
You might have heard the term: “grid congestion”. But what does it actually mean? Simply put: the power grid is getting full. There are moments when more electricity is generated or demanded than the grid can handle. This mainly happens in areas with a lot of solar or wind energy production or where many companies consume large amounts of electricity.
Read the articlePrevious external news reports
News
Energy market news
Developments in the energy market move fast. In this section, you find the most important news about policy, technology, market trends, and sustainability.
313,000 small consumers with possibly too large connection 6 October 2026 by M. Dirkx Over 300,000 households and small businesses have a larger connection than they […]
Collaboration allowed for bid on IJmuiden Ver Gamma 6 October 2026 by S. Sluijters Wind farm developers may jointly submit a bid on tenders IJmuiden Ver Gamma A […]
Green gas blending obligation passed by House of Representatives; now to Senate 6 October 2026 by H. van der Lugt Energy suppliers will soon have to purchase part of the gas they supply […]
Does Furec fall into the waste incinerator category or not? 6 October 2026 by J. Westerveld The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate is going to court over the permit […]
New NAM director: closing Groningen field ‘terrible’ 6 October 2026 by S. Sluijters Martijn Kleverlaan (53) starts on 1 November as CEO of NAM, a […]
House of Representatives cracks down hard on energy sharing 6 October 2026 by K. de Ronde Members of the House wonder whether energy sharing for households will still […]
With PRO, green gas blending obligation still gains majority 5 October 2026 by H. van der Lugt With a commitment to PRO, Minister Van Veldhoven has support from this […]
NAM profit last year dropped to a third of previous year 5 October 2026 by S. Sluijters NAM’s production was one billion cubic meters lower in 2025 […]
Waiting list moves, but demand for transport capacity grows 5 October 2026 by M. Dirkx The number of people waiting for grid injection or withdrawal stabilises, but […]
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