Cold without wind: German ‘dunkelflaute’ brings electricity prices to crisis levels and depletes gas reserves

Cold without wind: German ‘dunkelflaute’ brings electricity prices to crisis levels and depletes gas reserves

Dunkelflaute is a cursed word in the German electricity sector. The combination, typical of cold anticyclones, of low temperatures (which increase demand) and the almost total absence of wind (which hinders wind generation) configures one of the worst possible scenarios for the price of electricity: it forces the burning of more gas in combined cycle plants, which are much more expensive, and that substantially increases the bill. This dreaded cocktail, which is currently hitting Central Europe, is leading the price of electricity in Europe’s largest economy to levels not seen since the energy crisis.

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