The Exchange electricity price is on the move like never before. Extreme swings are occurring more and more frequently - both upwards and downwards. In the first third of 2025, 119 hours were already recorded with negative electricity prices counted, 45 % more The number of hours with prices above EUR 200 per megawatt hour also increased from 1 to 66 hours. Overall, exchange electricity prices in the first four months of the current year were between -130 and +583 Euro per MW. Such developments are no coincidence, but the result of structural changes on the electricity market.
What is the exchange electricity price?
The exchange electricity price is the price at which electricity is traded on the electricity exchange. EEX (European Energy Exchange) in Leipzig or at the EPEX Spot is traded in Paris. It is created in the so-called Day-ahead marketwhere supply and demand meet for each hour of the following day. The most expensive bid still required determines the electricity price for that hour - a principle known as the merit order. In the Intraday trading producers, energy suppliers, traders, energy-intensive companies or banks can even buy or sell electricity up to five minutes before the start of delivery. Factors influencing the electricity exchange price generally include generation capacities, weather conditions, consumption patterns and political decisions.
Causes of the current strong fluctuations
The increase in volatile exchange electricity prices can be attributed to three main factors:
1. increase in renewable energies in the electricity mix
The increasing share of solar and wind energy, which is already at around 60 %, has fundamentally changed the structure of exchange electricity prices. Unlike conventional power plants, renewable sources do not feed into the grid constantly, but rather depending on the weather and often in large quantities at once. This leads to negative prices in the event of oversupply - particularly at midday when there is strong solar radiation or at night when there is strong wind.
2. limited storage and grid capacities
Electricity surpluses cannot always be flexibly absorbed or distributed due to a lack of sufficient storage infrastructure and grid capacity. As a result, prices fall when there is a surplus of electricity and rise sharply when there is a shortage. The expansion of storage facilities and grids is therefore crucial in order to cushion price peaks in both directions and enable the integration of renewable energies.
3. global, geopolitical & regulatory factors
Gas prices, CO₂ certificates, geopolitical developments (e.g. the war in Ukraine), power plant availability and uncertainties in the global economy also influence the electricity exchange price. For example, the record high of € 871/MWh in August 2022 was a direct result of the gas price explosion. Regulatory interventions - such as changes to the EEG or state price caps - can also have a massive impact on the market price in the short term.
Volatile exchange electricity prices as an opportunity for flexible consumers and companies
Despite the challenges, the price fluctuations on the electricity market offer great opportunities - especially for flexible consumers, prosumers and companies with controllable loads.
Dynamic electricity tariffs
With dynamic electricity tariffswhich are based on the current electricity exchange price, consumers can make targeted use of times with favorable prices - for example to charge electric cars, heat pumps or battery storage systems.
Battery storage as a key technology
Commercial Large-scale battery storage can absorb electricity during low-price phases and feed it back into the grid at times when prices are high - a model that is not only economically attractive, but also beneficial to the grid. The market for large-scale storage systems is therefore experiencing a real boom.
Industrial process control
Energy-intensive processes in industry and commerce can also be shifted to low-price phases, for example through intelligent load control, such as the CUBE EfficiencyUnit (energy management system). Midday solar power peaks in particular can already be predicted and utilized relatively well today.
How companies can actively use the exchange electricity price
Companies can optimize their electricity costs if they understand the mechanisms of the electricity market and make targeted use of them:
- Hedging on the futures market protects against long-term price risks.
- Spot market utilization enables short-term reactions to price developments.
- Generating your own electricity with PV systems reduces dependence on volatile prices.
- Use of intelligent energy management systems enables automated reactions to stock market price signals.
Outlook: What does the future hold?
In the long term, grid expansion, intelligent control systems and more storage systems are expected to smooth out price peaks. Nevertheless, the electricity exchange price remains a key signal for the energy system of the future. It shows when electricity is particularly scarce or particularly cheap - and therefore when flexibility is required.
Conclusion
The increasing volatility of the electricity exchange price is both a challenge and an opportunity. Those who understand this can not only reduce electricity costs, but also actively contribute to the energy transition. Flexible consumers, modern storage solutions and dynamic tariffs are therefore becoming the backbone of an efficient, decentralized electricity system.