© iStock.com/shapecharge – Bundesnetzagentur.de

How much energy is being fed into the grid by wind turbines or by coal-fired power stations? What is the current demand for electricity? And how much electricity was exported by Germany last month? SMARD, the electricity market data platform of the Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency), provides answers to these and similar questions. At www.smard.de (in German only, English version will be online in fall 2017), the key electricity market data for Germany and specific statistics for Europe are accessible almost in real time, and can be illustrated in diagrams and downloaded. Interested citizens, students, and experts from business and science can find detailed information on the platform.

State Secretary Baake: SMARD helps strengthen transparency on the electricity market

"SMARD helps us strengthen the transparency on the electricity market and show that the interplay of the various energy sources works," said Rainer Baake, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, on the occasion of the platform's launch last week. Thanks to the data, everybody can follow the progress of the energy transition, he added.

President Homann: a treasure trove for all those interested in the energy transition

The Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency) operates the platform and continuously updates it. Data on electricity generation and consumption, wholesale trade prices, imports and exports, and balancing energy can be found and downloaded for various periods of time, individually or combined. "At present, citizens must rely on data from various sources – often without any explanations. This is where we come in: SMARD is a treasure trove for all who are interested in the energy transition and in the electricity market in particular," says Jochen Homann, President of the Bundesnetzagentur.

The data can be freely downloaded and used

The platform is user-friendly and easy to navigate for everyone. In addition, users find easy-to-understand articles addressing current events on the electricity market. Technical terms are explained, as is the way in which the various elements of the electricity market fit together. The platform also offers comprehensive analysis functions for experts. The data can be freely downloaded and used.

In the future, renewables are to account for the main share of Germany’s energy supply. Their share is to amount to at least 80% of the electricity supply by 2050. For this reason, renewable energy must be continuously integrated into the electricity supply system so that it can increasingly replace conventional sources of energy. The progress being made on this path can now be followed live on the SMARD platform. Section 111d of the Energy Industry Act is the legal basis for the platform. The Act was amended in summer 2016 in the context of the Electricity Market Act in order to make the electricity market fit for growing shares of renewables and to pave the way for competition built upon flexible power generation, flexible demand, and storage.