Electricity market price volatility has increased, creating an opportunity for flexible generation and storage. The
Wärtsilä Energy Transition Lab shows that combined cycle gas turbine profitability is down 36% from 1 January to 9 May 2020, coal generation is making a loss difference -229% in the UK. In contrary to the UK, German combined cycle gas turbine profits show a positive development, which can to a large extent be contributed to heavily reduced gas and CO2 prices, making cyclic operation feasible. However, flexible assets have increased their profits from day ahead and intraday markets by a staggering 471% for the first 5 months of the year. It stands to reason that flexibility is being rewarded and that there is an unprecedented opportunity on the European markets for very flexible plants right now – a trend that predicts well for a faster energy transition.