Maria Kannavou

Dr. Maria Kannavou is a seasoned energy analyst with over a decade of experience at the forefront of energy system modelling and policy support. As General Director of Ricardo's PRIMES model, she leads one of Europe’s most prominent energy-economy simulation frameworks, supporting long-term strategic planning in the transition to a low-carbon energy future.

Maria has also led the energy supply modelling team, where she was responsible for advancing existing power market models and developing new tools to address emerging challenges. Her work has underpinned high-impact studies informing EU energy and climate policy, with a particular focus on system decarbonisation, power market design, and system integration.

Maria has contributed to a wide range of technical projects, including resource adequacy assessments across various power systems, evaluations of capacity mechanisms, and detailed analyses of power market operation. She has also played a key role in cross-sectoral studies exploring the energy-water-climate nexus and the increasing need for flexibility in renewable-rich energy systems.

She holds an MSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a PhD from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), where her research focused on the modelling and analysis of flexibility in power systems with high shares of renewable energy.