Impact map

How does the EU electricity generation mix reach the costs of energy-intensive industry and the electricity bill of European households?

Version 4 publishedAs of Aug 04, 2026

How this map is built

Loading the map…

Select a node to bring out its chain. Escape shows everything again.

Layers of the map

User roles 1 nodeWhere the impact chains are read from
User impacts 1 nodeWhat reaches people directly
Industries and technology 3 nodesWhere products, services and jobs come from
Base systems 2 nodesWhat the layers above build on
Geopolitical drivers 0 nodesForces acting from the outside inwards

How connections cross the layers

Within one layer 1 relationshipSource and target sit in the same layer. This connection does not move closer to the user.
One layer inwards 2 relationshipsThe usual case. The impact moves one step closer to the user.
Skipped layer 1 relationshipThe impact skips a layer: source and target are more than one layer apart. Whether the layer in between is affected is not recorded here.
Outwards, away from the user 2 relationshipsThe connection points to a layer further out, against the reading direction of the map. Whether it is a feedback loop is a separate property and stands under connection type.

Connection type

Direct impact
Indirect impact
Feedback loop

Direction of impact

Acts on
Positive impact
Negative impact
Mixed impact
Impact unclear

Strength

Very low, Low
Medium
High
Very high

Confidence

Very low, Low
Medium
High, Very high

Node type

User role
User impact
Industry
Technology
Base system
Geopolitical driver

Way to the user role

Appears once you select a node, if a chain from it reaches a user role.

Line width shows relative strength in four steps, and lower opacity a lower confidence. Both values also appear as text in the detail view. A rating that is missing is not drawn at all: the detail view then says “Not rated”, which is not the lowest step.

List view of the graph (the same information without a pointing device)

User roles

User roles with connections and direction of impact
Node	Layer	Connections	Acts on	Details
EU household	User roles	1	No outgoing impacts in this version.

User impacts

User impacts with connections and direction of impact
Node	Layer	Connections	Acts on	Details
Household energy cost burden	User impacts	2	EU household (Negative impact) · Across layers: One layer inwards

Technologies

Technologies with connections and direction of impact
Node	Layer	Connections	Acts on	Details
Data centres	Industries and technology	1	EU electricity generation (Positive impact) · Across layers: Outwards, away from the user
Grid-scale battery storage	Industries and technology	1	EU electricity generation (Positive impact) · Across layers: Outwards, away from the user

Industries

Industries with connections and direction of impact
Node	Layer	Connections	Acts on	Details
Energy-intensive industry	Industries and technology	1	No outgoing impacts in this version.

Base systems

Base systems with connections and direction of impact
Node	Layer	Connections	Acts on	Details
EU electricity generation	Base systems	4	Energy-intensive industry (Negative impact) · Across layers: One layer inwardsEU wholesale electricity price (Mixed impact) · Across layers: Within one layer
EU wholesale electricity price	Base systems	2	Household energy cost burden (Positive impact) · Across layers: Skipped layer

How to read the map

The user is at the centre.: Their everyday life and quality of life are the starting point.
User impacts sit in the inner ring.: Prices, supply and income reach the user directly.
Industries and technology sit around them.: They supply products, services and jobs.
Base systems carry the layers above them.: Energy, materials and infrastructure can reach the layers further in.
Geopolitical drivers act from the outside.: Export controls, conflicts and climate risks belong to this layer. A version that records none leaves the ring empty.
A line is one checked relationship.: It points from where the impact starts to where it arrives, usually one layer further inwards, and it carries its own evidence.

Hover a node for a preview. A click or tap pins the selection and opens the evidence. Without a pointing device, use the list view below the map.