Boston’s Unexpectedly Pleasant Day Sent Power Prices to -$150
- Clouds and cool breeze curbed air conditioning needs
- Some generators offered to pay users to take their megawatts
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A blanket of clouds and a cool breeze wafting over Boston this weekend curbed air conditioning needs so much that electricity prices cratered to -$150 a megawatt-hour.
The city’s weather was so unexpectedly pleasant on May 21 that the New England grid had too much supply and some generators had to pay consumers to take their power, according to the grid operator. With clouds deflecting the worst of the sun’s heat, Boston’s high was just 71 degrees Fahrenheit (22 Celsius) instead of the blistering heat that had been previously forecast for the city, according to the National Weather Service.