The intraday price is the wholesale electricity price for short-term deliveries traded after the day-ahead market. Trading can begin on the previous day and continue until shortly before delivery, depending on the market and product. Market participants use it to respond to updated consumption and generation forecasts or unplanned plant outages.

Intraday Prices at a Glance

• Continuous trading can produce different transaction prices for the same delivery interval.
• Each intraday auction determines a common price per delivery interval and bidding zone.
• Battery storage systems can benefit from short-term price differences; potential revenues depend on trading conditions and available flexibility.

How Are Intraday Prices Determined?

In continuous trading, compatible buy and sell orders are matched on an ongoing basis. Each transaction has its own price. Unlike the already established day-ahead price curve, executable trading prices therefore change continuously.

In intraday auctions, orders are collected at scheduled times. Each auction determines a common auction price per delivery interval and bidding zone. European market coupling takes available cross-border transmission capacity into account.

Price indices summarise completed transactions. EPEX SPOT’s ID3, for example, is the volume-weighted average price of transactions executed during the last three trading hours of a contract. It is not a guaranteed executable trading price.

An intraday price must therefore specify the delivery interval, market area and price type, including the particular auction or index where applicable. For current trading offers, the observation time is also relevant.

What Do Intraday Prices Mean for Battery Storage?

Battery storage systems can adjust their planned charging and discharging schedules at short notice. For example, if higher photovoltaic generation is forecast for the market area and intraday prices fall, a trading partner may purchase additional electricity and send an updated charging schedule to the energy management system (EMS).

Whether an adjustment is worthwhile depends on executable buy and sell prices, available trading volumes, fees, storage losses and battery degradation. Historical average prices alone are insufficient for a reliable profitability assessment.

State of charge, charging and discharging power, grid connection limits and existing delivery or balancing reserve commitments restrict the flexibility available.

How Does EcoPhi Support Implementation?

Depending on the project, EcoPhi can receive updated schedules or power setpoints from a trading partner, implement them locally through photovoltaic and battery storage systems, and report operating data. Interfaces, update frequency and technical limits must be agreed for the integration.

Local EMS control is distinct from trading decisions, exchange access and balance group management. Technical integration alone does not fulfil these market responsibilities.

Intraday Trading in Summary

Intraday prices enable short-term adjustments to trading and plant operation, with benefits depending on executable transactions and available plant flexibility.

Frequently Asked Questions About Intraday Prices

Does a dynamic electricity tariff automatically provide access to intraday revenues?

No. Access depends on the contractual pricing basis and trading arrangements, for example through a trading partner.

Is the intraday price the total cost of purchasing electricity?

No. Depending on the contract and location, additional costs may apply, such as grid charges, taxes and levies.