电力市场指的是，整体电力在供应、需求、售卖和购买的影响下，对电力价格产生改变的一个机制。

从经济学的角度来看，电（包括功率与能量）是可供购买、销售并进行交易的商品。电力市场是一个能够出价购买、开价销售的系统，通常以财务或凭证交换的方式进行采购与短期交易，依循供需法则决定价格。长期交易合约则类似购电合约，普遍被认为是私人间的双边交易。电力批发通常由市场运营机构或特定的独立机构专门负责结算，市场运营机构不进行结算也要具备交易相关知识，以维持发电与负载的平衡。

电力市场通常有两类商品：功率与能量。功率是瞬间的传输率，单位为百万瓦（MW）。能量是一段时间的传输量，单位为百万瓦·时（MWh）。

In economic terms, electricity (both power and energy) is a commodity capable of being bought, sold, and traded. An electricity market is a system enabling purchases, through bids to buy; sales, through offers to sell; and short-term trades, generally in the form of financial or obligation swaps. Bids and offers use supply and demand principles to set the price. Long-term trades are contracts similar to power purchase agreements and generally considered private bi-lateral transactions between counterparties.