Energy

The energy sector undergoes radical changes which will lead to a structural transformation of the energy system as a whole. The changes result from the interaction of politics, regulations and market developments. The energy policy, which is in Germany heavily influenced by the liberalization of the European electricity and gas market, can no longer be considered in isolation from climate and environmental policy. These processes pose new challenges for the players on the electricity and gas market as well as for the governments and the regulatory authorities.

The promotion of renewable energy sources alters the economic and physical principles of the energy system and breaks up the conventional value chains. The increase of the market share of renewable energies and energy efficiency must be achieved while ensuring a high security of supply and the economic sustainability of the system. The gas sector encounters particular challenges in the coalescing of the national markets, the evolution of the European gas market and the design of its market rules. This adds to the question of convergence of the energy markets and the change in the role of the gas sector against the backdrop of the transformation of the energy system.

The described developments also influence the requirements on the grids and necessitate a reconsideration of the regulatory framework, the market design and the definition of the roles of the involved players.