Electricity industry starter-kit - February

How does the electricity market work?

Register for Electricity industry starter-kit - February

The energy industry is often seen as complex to newcomers or people changing careers. With so many technical terms, laws and different players with very different interests to consider, building your industry knowledge can feel like an impossible task.

This online training course provides you with a concise overview of what you need to know to work in the electricity industry. Covering the energy industry value chain, this course clearly explains the basic mechanisms of the electricity market, from generation, trading and transport, all the way through to sales. An outlook on current developments in the electricity market is also included to prepare you for exciting discussions with colleagues or customers. Germany is used as our case study energy market for this course, but the learnings can be applied across many European power markets.

This training course will teach you how to:

Explain the organisation of the electricity market in basic terms.

Categorise your company or function in the context of the electricity industry.

Explain processes on the wholesale market for electricity.

Analyse developments in electricity markets.

February 5: Day one

Session 1: Technical basics of the energy industry

Energy vs. power, understanding different types of energy
Energy sources and their use for power generation
Physical principles of the electricity sector

Session 2: The energy industry value chain

The liberalised electricity market and the various market roles
Tasks along the energy industry value chain
Balancing group management and balancing energy to ensure grid stability

Session 3: Electricity procurement from a supplier's perspective

Different markets for electricity procurement: spot vs. futures market
Principle of full supply vs. structured procurement
Differences between Standard Load Profile and consumption-metered (RLM) customers, including balancing, fees and end customer prices

February 6: Day 2

Session 4: The wholesale electricity market

Line charts and candlestick charts
Creation and recognition of seemingly insurmountable price levels
Trend lines, channels and their implications
Exercises

Session 5: Valuation of technical signals

Price formation and price influences
Players and their interests in wholesale electricity trading
Trading processes and trading centres: Exchange, OTC, auction and continuous trading

Session 6: The energy turnaround in Germany

Germany's political goals and the status quo of the energy transition
Emissions trading and the EEG as instruments for the energy transition
PPAs as an alternative to the EEG

Speakers

Juri Schwartz

Analyst

Juri Schwartz holds a B.A. in International Studies from Leiden University and Master’s degree in Energy Policy Studies from Masaryk University in Brno. In his Master's thesis, he dealt with the introduction and design of Carbon Contracts for Difference in Germany as a tool to further the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors and stimulating hydrogen demand. Alongside an apprenticeship, Juri also completed several internships in both the private and public sectors. Since September 2023, he has been working at Energy Brainpool GmbH & Co. KG, now part of Montel. In addition to conducting training courses and simulation games, Juri enjoys discussing all topics that fall within the scope of energy policy.

Target group

Career changers/newcomers to the electricity industry
Employees in support departments of utilities, municipal utilities, grid operators, power plant operators, direct marketers, etc.
Representatives from associations, politics and the media with a connection to energy industry issues

Sample use case

You or your team want to enter the electricity industry and need a comprehensive, precise overview of the market segments, the processes, the regulatory framework and the entry requirements for the market.

Alternatively, you may also have been working for an energy company for some time. For internal or external communication, you need background information and want to be able to use technical terms with confidence, enabling you to understand contexts that are not commonly explained.