The peer-to-peer (P2P) trading of electricity is a recently developed type of transaction in the electricity system. In a P2P electricity trade, two equal market participants, in most cases prosumers, conclude a contract for the trade of electricity. This article provides a review of the legal context of P2P electricity trading, with a focus on European energy law. Furthermore, the article discusses the relation of P2P electricity trading to the phenomenon of the collaborative economy and to parallel technological developments taking place in the electricity system. We conclude that while the current state of European Union energy law might in principle allow P2P electricity trading, the lack of specific provisions is likely to cause issues in practice.
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