What makes a good Hourly Price Forward Curve?

While an Hourly Price Forward Curve (HPFC) plays a defining role in the profitability of all power trading, there is a lack of consensus on the a priori requirements of a suitable HPFC, as opposed to the a posteriori quality measure that executed trades be profitable. We attempt to address this issue by reviewing the methodology of HPFC construction, and recommending a suite of quality checks for the resulting prices, based on their intended application.