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Industries · Energy and resources

Power, utilities and renewables

How electricity is made, moved and sold; why the cheapest new power is often solar or wind; what levelized cost and capacity factor mean; how grids, regulation and storage work; and how power markets differ in Europe, the Gulf, India and Africa.

39 min3 lessons Facts checked against sources on
Start lesson 1 How the power system works, and who makes money in it

Key takeaways

  • Electricity must be produced at the same moment it is used, because it is hard to store.
  • A solar or wind plant spends almost all its money before it produces anything, and then its fuel is free.
  • Power cases usually ask whether to build something (a plant, a battery, a line), how to fix a loss-making utility, or how to reach a clean energy target.
By the end you will be able to
  • Explain generation, transmission, distribution and retail, and who earns money at each step
  • Calculate capacity factor, a simple levelized cost of electricity and a battery storage margin
  • Explain the merit order and why solar and wind lower wholesale prices at some hours
  • Describe the main market models in Europe, the Gulf, India and Africa
  • Crack typical power and renewables cases, starting with the right driver

Lessons

1

How the power system works, and who makes money in it

Generation, grids and retail; the generation mix; the main market models by region; and the numbers the industry watches.

12 min
2

Power economics and operations: levelized cost, the merit order, storage and the grid

Why financing decides the cost of solar, how the merit order sets prices, how batteries earn money, and the supply chain behind a power project.

14 min
3

Power players, trends 2024 to 2026, and how to crack the cases

Who the players are by region, what changed from 2024 to 2026, regulation basics, typical prompts, traps and drills.

13 min

Worked cases in this module

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Key terms