UK payers spent a 'ridiculous' £1 billion [$1.26bn] So far this year, wind turbines have been temporarily shut down as the grid struggles to cope with their power supply. [emphasis, links added]
According to official data, about 6.6 gigawatt hours (GWh) of wind power will be “cut” in the first 11 months of 2024, up from 3.8 gigawatt hours (GWh) for all of last year.
Browning is paying to have wind turbines shut down during strong winds to stop surges in electricity from overwhelming the grid. Households and businesses pay for the policy through their bills.
The cost of closure has reached around £1bn [$1.26bn] so far this year, according to an Octopus Energy analysis of market data first reported by Bloomberg.
This is more than £779 million [$984m] £945m was spent last year [$1,193m] Spend in 2022.
Cut the jump to follow The opening of more wind farms comes at a time when the country still lacks the infrastructure needed to transport all the electricity generated during busy periods.
Clem Cowton, Director of External Affairs at Octopus, added:
“Outdated rules for our energy system mean A lot of cheap green energy is wasted.
“This is ridiculous The UK pays Scottish wind farms to turn their plants off when windy conditions arise, while it pays gas-fired power plants in the south to turn them on.
“We need to change the rules that govern our system to make the most of our home-grown energy and lower bills for UK households and businesses.”
Octopus and others have called for the country to move to a regional pricing system, which they say would incentivize more wind farms to be built closer to where the power is needed.
This would reduce the need for hundreds of miles of cables needed to carry power from the north and Scotland, where there are many wind farms, to the south, where demand is greatest.
However, these plans are likely to be controversial as they could mean Homes and businesses in the South pay more for energy than those in the North.
Jason Mann, electricity market expert at FTI Consulting, said The high cost of power curtailments highlights a lack of cables to carry power south.
However, he also argued The £1 billion cost is partly the result of the UK's national electricity pricing system.
Mr Mann said:
“According to the current market design in the UK, congestion costs are an unavoidable issue.
“Increasing the transmission capacity we have could alleviate the problem, but not completely – it remains an ongoing problem.
“At some point you have to do something to encourage greater demand in the north, such as lowering prices.”
According to the National Energy System Operator (Neso), Cost of power cuts set to soar to £6bn [$7.58bn] By 2030 if the status quo is maintained.
Reading break from The Telegraph
