The future of short-term electricity balancing in Europe : Impact of common balancing energy markets and decarbonization

The European power system is currently undergoing significant changes, particularly in short-term balancing. Indeed, the organization of the latter is transitioning from local processes at the level of each country to harmonized common markets. Additionally, decarbonization will alter the characteristics of short-term balancing. This thesis assesses the impact of these two changes on the activation of reserves and the balancing needs in Europe. In a first part, it demonstrates the influence of operating constraints of generation units on the supply curve of balancing markets. The demand curve is then examined from the perspective of bidding strategies by transmission system operators. Finally, a study looking ahead to 2050 evaluates the capacity of these new markets to accommodate for increases in balancing needs caused by the large-scale integration of variable renewable energy sources.