The Role of SMEs in Electricity Markets

Abstract

Energy, electricity and gas companies are undergoing profound transformations as a result of European directives. From a market generally characterized by a single public monopolist, we have moved on to a plurality of new operators. Therefore, it seems interesting to analyze the role played by SMEs in this sector. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to analyze the financial performance of energy companies and draw the appropriate conclusions about the function of SMEs. To this end, we will focus on the case of Italy and its electricity generation companies. Secondary data from the AIDA database will be used. In this sense, we will analyze some financial ratios, both financial and economic. Then, we will proceed to a descriptive statistical analysis and ANOVA. They will allow us to verify the potential of the SMEs for the energy sector.