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A comment on Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables Surge. Parent comment

Re:Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables S... by paule89 on Tuesday April 07, 2026 @07:38AM (#47673622)
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.
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Re:Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables S... by wrxd on Tuesday April 07, 2026 @07:59AM (#47673850)
It’s still capped at £1/kWh, which is a lot but also a price I’ve seen maybe for a few slots on a couple days in the last three years.

The price was known ~1 day in advance so I had the choice to fill up the battery with cheaper (but still high) prices overnight and reduce the impact

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Re:Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables S... by Ekaros on Tuesday April 07, 2026 @07:59AM (#47673847)
That is the trade off for renewables. Power is very expensive when needed and very cheap when not.
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Re:Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables S... by leonidasrup on Tuesday April 07, 2026 @08:42AM (#47674412)
Electric power is very expensive when demand is greater than supply, very cheap when supply is greater than demand.
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Re:Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables S... by HPsquared on Thursday April 09, 2026 @11:24AM (#47704951)
One property of electric power grids is that supply exactly equals demand.
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Re:Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables S... by HPsquared on Tuesday April 07, 2026 @07:47AM (#47673712)
That's what batteries are for.
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Re:Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables S... by manarth on Tuesday April 07, 2026 @11:54AM (#47677250)
Consumer pricing in the UK is regulated with a price cap (per kWh), so consumers can't be fleeced in an unexpected event.

Business energy users aren't protected, so they buy long-term contracts, hedge, or go-under in the event of an unforeseen energy-shortage.

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