Comment on European electricity prices tumble into negative territory amid glut of green energy
vacuumflower@lemmy.sdf.org 1 year ago
Negative prices are a bad sign in this. A good sign would be such a proficite affecting average and median prices, that is, being spread over time.
Such unevenness of production is the main problem with green energy. Except for nuclear, though it can have unexpected surges too, I know it’s a stupid joke.
MrMakabar@slrpnk.net 1 year ago
It does effect electricity prices. For a non nuclear price comparison Germany and Poland are pretty good. Exchange traded price for Germany last June was 94.74€/MWh and Poland was at 118.17€/MWh. Germany has sometimes negative prices due to having significantly more renewables and that lowers prices.
Prices are there to show what infrastructure is necessary. This is basicly a sign for more variable demand and storage. Funnily enough a lot of the technologies currently used to electrify fossil fuels are somewhat variable demand like heat pumps and have some storage ability like evs. We need more green electricity anyway, so this is in no way a bad sign, but just a sign that there is an inbalance in built up between different green technologies. We most certainly need the power.
vacuumflower@lemmy.sdf.org 1 year ago
Yes, that’s what I mean.
MrMakabar@slrpnk.net 1 year ago
I honestly fail to see, how that is supposed to be a bad sign thou. It only shows that there is some overproduction at some times, usually weends with a lot of renewables. This is still not a daily thing to happen, even with solar being relativly predictable in summer. As it still does not meet work day demand in most places, althou it gets close.
Negative prices show overproduction and that is necessary to fill up storage, which is currently lacking. The good part is that overproduction drives down prices, whereas too much storage just costs money. So building generation first is the smart course of action. Looking aroudn, there are a lot of large scale batteries, variable demand consumers, such as electrolysis(for steel production) and large scale heat pumps with heat storage being announced. It is clearly working and leads to a further move away from fossil fuels. Can you please explain how that is a bad thing?
vacuumflower@lemmy.sdf.org 1 year ago
Only in the surge moments.
And show it through energy wasted.
If the consumers could adjust as fast at it’s needed, there would be no negative prices etc.
This means inefficiency.