Bulgaria’s electricity system is under mounting pressure. Renewables now account for 54.5% of installed generation capacity, solar PV alone reached 6,505 MW in 2026, and the system is already producing sustained periods of negative wholesale prices — clear evidence that the flexibility challenge is no longer a future concern but a present operational reality. On a typical spring day, …

Electricity System Flexibility in Bulgaria: Unlocking the Digital Opportunity  Read More »

The European integration of electricity markets rests on the principle that power should flow from low-price to high-price zones, up to the limit of available transmission capacity. While European electricity market integration has progressed significantly under the EU Target Model, persistent price divergence and intermittent inefficiencies in cross-border flows suggest that full market coupling has not …

When Prices Diverge: Welfare Losses from Constrained Cross-Border Transmission  in Southeast Europe  Read More »

The integration of European electricity markets is found on the principle that, in the absence of transmission constraints, wholesale electricity prices across bidding zones should converge. Under the EU Target Model and the market coupling framework promoted by the European Commission, cross-border capacity is allocated implicitly through price coupling, allowing electricity to flow from lower-price to higher-price areas until …

Are Bulgaria’s wholesale electricity prices isolated?  Read More »

The increasing penetration of renewable energy sources (RES) in European electricity markets is commonly associated with lower wholesale prices. However, its implications for price stability remain ambiguous. Evidence from Bulgaria for 2025 indicates that while a higher RES share systematically reduces average day-ahead wholesale prices, it does not lead to lower price volatility; rather, it is associated with increased short-term price …

More renewables = lower prices. But not more stable prices.  Read More »

Over the past two years, wholesale electricity prices in Bulgaria and the wider South-Eastern European region have consistently been higher than in Central Europe. Net-Zero Lab has already analyzed the price divergence in 2025 (link). Many observers ask: Is the EU’s new flow-based market coupling system to blame?  The data tell a more complex — and more interesting — …

Why Is Electricity More Expensive in Bulgaria and Its Neighbours?   Read More »

A comparison of day-ahead electricity prices across Europe for the whole of 2025 reveals a clear and persistent pattern: electricity prices in Bulgaria paid by non-household users are most often above the EU average, with deviations becoming especially pronounced during periods of system stress and, occasionally, during periods of oversupply.  Evidence of the latter occurred on 1st May …

Bulgaria vs. EU: Where Do Wholesale Power Prices Stand?  Read More »

Industrial decarbonisation is key to achieving the EU’s climate objectives, with the next decade representing a critical window for the rapid reduction of emissions from carbon-intensive industries. Against the backdrop of deepening structural challenges in energy-intensive sectors, the low-carbon transition is becoming not only a climate imperative but also a decisive factor for the long-term competitiveness and technological …

Co-Creating Industrial Decarbonisation: Turning European Ambition into National and Industrial Priority  Read More »

A comprehensive new study developed as part of the collaboration between the Net-Zero Lab and Greenpeace Bulgaria sheds light on how local energy communities in Bulgaria can secure the funding and technical support they need to grow. The report “Analysis of Available Financial Mechanisms in Support of Energy Communities” maps out the current financial landscape …

New Analysis on Financial and Technical Support Mechanisms for Energy Communities Now Published Read More »

Sofia, 21 October 2025 — The Net-Zero Lab at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski,” organized a conference dedicated to accelerating the deployment of key low-carbon energy technologies in Bulgaria. The event brought together leading experts from academia, business, and government to discuss the challenges and potential of the …

Bulgaria on the Map of Energy Innovation: Net-Zero Lab Presents New Report on Clean Technologies   Read More »

Net-Zero Lab at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” is organizing a conference on October 21, 2025, at Grand Hotel Millennium Sofia, dedicated to Bulgaria’s innovation potential in strategic energy technologies. Bulgaria ranks among the last in Europe in terms of innovation capacity, yet it has the potential to establish itself as a leader in specific …

Strategic Energy Technologies: Bulgaria on the Path of Innovation in Data Centers, Energy Storage, and Green Fuels Read More »