News review
German renewables help
cut Europe’s energy prices
Soaring wind energy generation in Germany makes impact felt
By Stuart Qualtrough
D
ay-ahead electricity
prices in Continental
Europe fell sharply in
October, with warm weather
suppressing demand and windy
conditions boosting renewable
energy output, according to
monthly data just released by
leading global energy
information provider, Platts.
The Platts Continental Power
Index fell 10.2% in October to
€44.44 per megawatt hour (MWh)
compared to the September rate
of €49.49/MWh. Year-over-year
the index is down 11.4%.
“German near-term power prices
turned bearish in October and into
November as strong wind output
displaced conventional
generation,” said Andreas Franke,
Platts editor. “German wind output
in October was 47% higher than a
year ago, while the country’s solar
panels generated 5.5% more
electricity than in October 2012.”
Green energy causes drop in demand
Oversupply is not con?ned to
Germany. Despite a slow return to
service following maintenance of a
number of nuclear reactors in
France, the French day-ahead
power price in October was down
6% compared to September. Even
the ‘island’ system of the UK saw
the most recent monthly average
power prices dip 1% on September.
“October 28’s St Jude’s Day
storm and high winds saw the
lowest UK day-ahead price for the
month at £45.45/MWh,” Franke
said. “Since then, rising nuclear
output into November has kept a
lid on UK prices.”
Meanwhile, UK natural gas
prices bucked a recent upward
trend and fell in October from
September, as mild temperatures
capped demand and strong
pipeline gas ?ows from Norway
kept the system well supplied.
The day-ahead contract
averaged 65.10 pence/therm (p/
th) during October, compared to
65.70p/th in September – a near
1% decline. In 2012 the price rose
by 6.34% to 64.35p/th monthover-month.
At Continental Europe’s most
liquid natural gas trading hub,
the Dutch TTF, the average price
of day-ahead gas in October
was €25.87/MWh, down 2.3%
on September and 3% yearover-year.
Figures
21%
Reduction in avoidable
food waste in the UK
since 2007
7 years
Maximum Russian jail
term still facing 28
Greenpeace activists and
two journalists, despite
charges being lessened
10,106
Registered attendees at
the UN climate change
conference in Warsaw
9km
Length of fairy lights, made
up of 100,000 LED bulbs,
on Britain’s tallest arti?cial
Christmas tree, in Cheshire
Charge your car while you shop as
IKEA installs green electricity points
By Anna Wright
Home furnishing giant IKEA is
encouraging its customers to
make their shopping trips more
sustainable by installing
electric vehicle rapid charging
points at all 18 of its UK store
car parks by the end of 2013.
Research conducted by the
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