this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2024
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Mildly Interesting

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It's still not earning you money to spend electricity because you still have to pay the transfer fee which is around 6 cents / kWh but it's pretty damn cheap nevertheless, mostly because of the excess in wind energy.

Last winter because of a mistake it dropped down to negative 50 cents / kWh for few hours, averaging negative 20 cents for the entire day. People were literally earning money by spending electricity. Some were running electric heaters outside in the middle of the winter.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I don't know why you're framing this as solely a demand problem,

That is a very good question that has a very simple answer:

The supply shaping solutions to excess solar and wind power are to figure out how to store power, or to stop building renewables. Both of those approaches absolutely suck. We need more renewables, not less, and grid scale storage isn't sufficiently scalable to meet our needs.

Demand Shaping offers a wide variety of potential solutions compatible with increased renewable adoption, and without massive infrastructure projects.

low or even negative prices can induce producers to curtail production

Until 100% of our demand is continuously met by renewable generation, curtailment is not a solution. Curtailment is what you do when you can't find a solution.

And negative prices therefore take the place of disposal:

Disposal is not a solution. Disposal is what happens when you can't find a solution.

Until 100% of our power needs are met by renewables, curtailment and disposal both suck.

Demand Shaping is a solution. Demand Shaping moves subtracts load from when it can only be met with non-renewables, and adds load when it can be met with renewables. Demand Shaping makes non-renewables less profitable and renewables more profitable.

Demand Shaping fixes the problem in such a way that encourages renewable growth. Curtailment and disposal makes renewable less profitable. Curtailment and disposal resolves the problem in such a way that discourages renewable growth.