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Re:Power Prices Go Negative in Germany by vsl on Thursday December 28, 2017 @02:02AM (#16020774)
Electricity is complicated. Once a power plant is online, it outputs to the grid and there must be matching demand using it. Running a grid is about balancing supply with demand. Then wind starts blowing and you have unpredictable oversupply and nowhere to put it - or vice versa.

The trouble is that you can’t just plug a “reliable power plant” in or off the grid. It takes hours (that’s “quick” here) or days to power on/off.

You need batteries to cope (e.g. hydro power plants) and there’s not enough of them now.

Re:Power Prices Go Negative in Germany by eru on Friday December 29, 2017 @03:41AM (#16028430)
Yes, the technical site is complicated. That only underscores the need for proper financial technology to match.

A quick Google search for 'electricity futures' reveals quite a few hits. So this is already a thing.