> Excess electricity produced during periods of low consumption cannot yet be stored at scale, as battery capacity remains limited.
...and batteries are unsuitable for seasonal storage.
Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables Surge
21–30 of 101 posts
Re: Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables Surge
#22For anyone thinking negative prices is a good thing: It's not. It's a panic signal because there are no takers for an oversupply of energy, making the grid unstable.
The grid is not unstable and it was also not unstable the last view days when prices were negative. Germany has one of the most stable grids in the world. Negative prices are good when you need to buy electricity and they are bad when you are selling, but of course generally in a functioning market there shouldn't really be too many days with negative prices. It does mean that there isn't enough storage currently on the grid.
Re: Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables Surge
#23For anyone thinking negative prices is a good thing: It's not. It's a panic signal because there are no takers for an oversupply of energy, making the grid unstable.
This has happened in the Netherlands many times. The North Sea is a wind turbine paradise but Dutch people are asleep 8 hours a day- weak!
Re: Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables Surge
#24German excellence, shitting the bed both ways.
From JP Morgan's 16th Annual Energy Paper, March 2026
https://cdn.jpmorganfunds.com/content/dam/jpm-am-aem/global/...
> In 2024 we estimated that had Germany not decommissioned nuclear power after the Fukushima accident, it would have needed 50% less electricity generation from fossil fuels, 84% less generation from imported natural gas, 27% less fossil fuel capacity and 42% less natural gas capacity. Another road less traveled: Germany’s electricity prices in 2024 were almost 25% higher than they would have been had the country kept its nuclear power online . And as shown below, Germany might not have experienced such a sharp increase in its electricity imports which are 2x higher than a decade ago as a share of consumption.
> More nuclear shutdown repercussions: Germany’s industrial power prices were 3x higher than the US and China in 2024, and part of the reason why Germany has been experiencing the deindustrialization shown on the right.
On the positive side we in Norway have 10x higher energy prices because we now have to export energy to Germany during the winter and then our water storage is empty in the summer so we get fucked both ways as well.
Re: Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables Surge
#25As if negative prices trickle down to the consumer. The electricity market is byzantine, rigged and has resulted in higher energy prices in the last 20 years.
In the UK you can get energy plans with a price that updates every half hour, published a day ahead. From 12:30pm - 4pm today that price is negative. It was also negative for around 16 hours of Easter Sunday. https://www.octopriceuk.app/agile
Well dynamic pricing only ever works until you have a power outage in the winter and suddenly you pay a years worth of money for the 1 hour you could use your fridge, during a snowstorm.
Re: Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables Surge
#26For anyone thinking negative prices is a good thing: It's not. It's a panic signal because there are no takers for an oversupply of energy, making the grid unstable.
1. They could export the surplus. No? 2. Isn't cheaper electricity a good thing for the manufacturing industry?
> 1. They could export the surplus. No?
Yes, and that is in fact done. However, there it is still a bad deal with negative electricity prices.
> Isn't cheaper electeicity a good thing for the manufacuring industry?
It technically is, but its not as simple as that. Industrial manufacturing is a relatively steady load, which means the consumption is constant. The lowest prices do not matter all that much, the average price does. And that average price is relatively high here, even for industrial consumers.
Re: Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables Surge
#27where's the bitcoin miners when you need them ??? /s
They are experimenting with buying excess energy during low-demand or supply surges. https://www.rechargenews.com/wind/german-telecoms-giant-to-t...
Re: Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables Surge
#28For anyone thinking negative prices is a good thing: It's not. It's a panic signal because there are no takers for an oversupply of energy, making the grid unstable.
1. They could export the surplus. No? 2. Isn't cheaper electricity a good thing for the manufacturing industry?
The negative price is an indication that consumers can't utilize all the energy. That is, no one is willing to pay to consume more.
Re: Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables Surge
#29Re: Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables Surge
#30For anyone thinking negative prices is a good thing: It's not. It's a panic signal because there are no takers for an oversupply of energy, making the grid unstable.
The grid is not unstable and it was also not unstable the last view days when prices were negative. Germany has one of the most stable grids in the world. Negative prices are good when you need to buy electricity and they are bad when you are selling, but of course generally in a functioning market there shouldn't really be too many days with negative prices. It does mean that there isn't enough storage currently on…
Now what we need is a cheap grid interconnect for home users running solar panels that automatically starts charging a battery when grid prices go negative, to absorb that extra power.