Methodology

Day-ahead electricity prices are interval values. A price does not describe only a single point in time; it applies to a delivery interval such as 15 minutes, 30 minutes or one hour. For that reason, Eurospotting displays daily price profiles as step charts. Each horizontal step represents the price for the interval between its start and end time, and vertical transitions show the change from one interval to the next.

This avoids the false impression that prices move smoothly between interval starts. The displayed profile is intended to reflect the market data as reported: a sequence of discrete delivery intervals rather than a continuously interpolated curve.

Eurospotting preserves PT15M, PT30M and PT60M source series separately. When multiple series are available for a zone and day, the daily chart uses the most granular available source series. The application does not upsample hourly data into artificial 15-minute values, and it does not downsample more detailed data into a lower-resolution profile for display.

This means that different zones may appear with different interval structures. That is expected. The difference reflects the source data and helps avoid hiding market-specific or historical differences behind a uniform visual format.

The map is designed for cross-zone comparison. To make that possible, map colors use comparable EUR/MWh values where Eurospotting can calculate them reliably. The selected-zone detail, however, keeps the source context visible by showing the reported source price, unit and currency where available.

This distinction is important. A comparable EUR/MWh value helps the map answer the question “how does this zone compare with others?” The source value helps answer the question “what did the underlying data source report for this zone?” Eurospotting keeps both concepts separate so the visual comparison does not overwrite the source record.

When a source value is not already directly comparable in EUR/MWh, Eurospotting may apply a foreign-exchange normalization layer for visualization. This supports cross-zone comparison on the map and in comparable-value diagnostics. It is not intended to restate the official source price or imply that the market itself was settled in EUR.

Foreign-exchange handling is deliberately conservative. If Eurospotting cannot determine a reliable comparable value for a source price, the application leaves the comparable value unavailable rather than forcing a potentially misleading conversion.

Eurospotting keeps missing data visible. If a zone has no valid source value for a delivery interval, the application does not fill the interval with a repeated previous value, interpolation or synthetic estimate. Missing and partial days are part of the data quality picture and should remain visible to users.

This also means that the map may show some zones as unavailable on dates where neighboring zones have complete data. In many cases this reflects source availability rather than a user-interface problem.

The map uses bidding-zone geometries as an analytical representation of market areas. These shapes support visual exploration and comparison. They should not be treated as legal boundary definitions, grid-connection boundaries or official geographic records.

The current public release focuses on day-ahead electricity prices. Eurospotting is designed as a broader market-intelligence product, and future releases may add additional market views, time horizons, derived indicators or forecasting layers. Any such additions should preserve the same methodological distinction between source data, derived values and visual presentation.

For methodology questions, data-quality observations or suggestions, contact Eurospotting at contact@eurospotting.com.