It takes about a minute or two to curtail a solar or a wind power plant - if you’re slow.
Negative prices happen because plants are still subsidised during negative price periods. The 4 and 6 hour rules in Germany only apply to newer plants, and many phases of negative prices are shorter than that.
France has the 1 hour rule apply to all renewable plants, but there are still subsidies available in the form of time-shiftable origination certificates.
But all of this is improving and we are going to see prices go less negative in future.
Thank you for being a voice of sanity. The idea that once renewables are fully built out, and grid-scale storage is available and subsidies are no longer needed, that prices will be free or negative makes absolutely no sense.
Negative prices happen because plants are still subsidised during negative price periods. The 4 and 6 hour rules in Germany only apply to newer plants, and many phases of negative prices are shorter than that.
France has the 1 hour rule apply to all renewable plants, but there are still subsidies available in the form of time-shiftable origination certificates.
But all of this is improving and we are going to see prices go less negative in future.