Comments on: Renewables Driving Electricity Prices below $0 Some Afternoons (& Cutting into Baseload Power Plants’ Market Share)

By: Germany's power price disconnect : Renew Economy

Germany's power price disconnect : Renew Economy — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 02:32:53 +0000

[…] just as solar boomed, driving down the wholesale cost of electricity on many a day (or even turning it negative), and wind boomed, driving down the wholesale price of electricity on many a night, utility […]

By: German Electricity Prices Rise as Utilities Increase Their Profit Margin from 1.1% to 8.2% - CleanTechnica

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 20:30:57 +0000

By: Bill_Woods

Bill_Woods — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 04:55:00 +0000

“Most baseload power plants take a long time to adjust, which means that they are not able to adjust quickly to unexpected fluctuations in electricity demand, …”

Depends on what you’re calling a “long time”. Coal and gas plants vary their output considerably every day — down at night after people go to bed, and up again at the beginning of the workday.

By: Bill_Woods

Bill_Woods — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 04:50:00 +0000

And low demand, since it was a Sunday.

By: Zachary Shahan

Zachary Shahan — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:33:00 +0000

large amt of electricity supply at that time.

EEX doesn’t mess around with April Fool’s day, at least not in such charts.

By: Spatterson

Spatterson — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:20:00 +0000

Can anyone explain why there was only 2 hrs of one day in the entire chart that was even close to zero? I hope this is the case but I question the accuracy of the information……especially when you check the date of the chart.

By: Zachary Shahan

Zachary Shahan — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:43:00 +0000

You throw in a lot of criticism without really offering any info of value. Study after study that looks at the matter comprehensively finds renewable energy IS green and it is clearely the cheaper way to go. A couple links: http://cleantechnica.com/2012/03/02/clean-energy-is-needed-now-climate-scientists-climate-economists-say/ http://planetsave.com/2012/03/02/economist-nordhaus-corrects-wsj-global-warming-nonsense/

By: lftrsuk

lftrsuk — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:58:00 +0000

Why is it that renewables enthusiasts never mention the costs per kWh of useful electricity generated, of the resources that go into renewable energy devices? Is it a desire not to tarnish a green-dream, whereby an industrialised world could commercially exist with energy from renewables only, with zero environmental impact?

The capacity factor of the best of them, wind turbines, is so pathetic they use 54X the steel and concrete resources, per useful kWh generated, than breeder reactors: http://lftrsuk.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/how-green-is-wind-turbine-in-my-valley.html

To then propose ‘improvements’, by way of pumped storage/molten salt storage/compressed air storage/battery storage/smart grids/international or intercontinental connectivity/etc., turns a green-dream into an environmental nightmare – and this doesn’t count back-up, for when the sun don’t shine and the wind don’t blow.

By: James Van Damme

James Van Damme — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:55:00 +0000

So why put up more solar panels if the electricity won’t be worth much?

By: Captivation

Captivation — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 02:29:00 +0000

Wow. When electricity drops to free is obviously the best time to recharge the home battery system. This is going to push many people and businesses to invest in storage capacity. Imagine what the delivery companies can do with free fuel?

By: Solar David

Solar David — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 02:23:00 +0000

Solar already offers one very targeted complementary aspect. The times when air conditioning is most used are generally times when the sun shines brightest, specificly:

more in summer than in winter
more in daytime than in night
more when sun shines directly on buildings than when it is overcast

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 01:05:00 +0000

Will zero (or negative) was rare in the table there was a lot of 10-20 Euro/MWh and a lot of 50-60Euro/MWh. I wonder what spread the Liquid salt battiers are going to need to make good (or batter) money.

By: Ronald Brak

Ronald Brak — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 23:07:00 +0000

I don’t know how it works in Europe, but I would guess it is a fee to discourage generators from dumping excess electricity onto the grid.

By: lukealization

lukealization — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:19:00 +0000

Great post! Wind and solar truly are a match made in heaven – add in some hydropower, pumped-hydro, and some grid-level storage (like those Magnesium-Antimony liquid metal batteries that Zachary recently posted about), and you’re good to go.

I do have a question however. When the price of electricity on ELIX dropped to -0.01 Euros/MWh, does that actually mean purchasers of electricity RECEIVE money from the generators? Or is it just a technicality and no money or a baseload price is exchanged?

Again, fantastic post, I would like to see more of these types of articles actually!