Germany paid customers to use up excess electricity
German utility companies were forced to pay customers last weekend as a result of excess energy production. On 28 October, wind output reached 39,409 MW, the same energy output as 40 nuclear reactors. German electricity prices turned negative as excess wind energy forced energy producers to close their power facilities, or pay consumers to use electricity and remove it from the network. According to Bloomberg analysis, it was the first 24-hour period this year in which average electricity prices were negative.
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Germany generated enough wind power at the weekend for consumers to get free energy.

So much was generated by wind turbines in weekend storms that costs fell to below zero. Bloomberg reported that power prices turned negative as wind output reached 39,409 megawatts on Saturday.

To balance supply and demand in this situation, energy producers close power stations or pay consumers to take extra electricity from the network.

Ahead of the weekend, Bloomberg said it would be the first whole day this year that the average price for electricity was negative, rather than just being negative for a few hours.

Wind Europe, which promotes wind power in Europe and globally, said in a press release that European wind energy broke a new record on 28 October.

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The organisation, which tracks daily wind power in Europe, said that over 24 per cent of the EU’s electricity demand was powered by wind on Saturday, the highest per cent ever recorded. This beat a previous record set on 7 October of over 19 per cent.

Offshore wind accounted for 2.8 per cent of the EU’s electricity demand while onshore wind accounted for 21.8 per cent. Wind represented 61 per cent of electricity demand in Germany.

Wind Europe attributes the record figures to both the continued expansion of wind energy in Europe and to the weekend’s weather – particularly strong northern winds and a wave of polar air travelling across central, eastern and south-eastern Europe.