Dutch Power Prices Turn Negative as Green Power Floods Grid
The Haringvliet energy park in Middelharnis, in the Netherlands.
Photographer: Jeffrey Groeneweg/AFP/Getty Images
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Power prices in the Netherlands turned negative on Wednesday with the market so overloaded with green electricity that consumers are getting paid to use the excess supply.
Prices fell to as low as -€739.96 a megawatt-hour between 1 and 2 p.m. in Amsterdam’s Epex Spot SE exchange, with the weighted average staying negative for every hour from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The surge of clean electricity has outstripped demand, showcasing power grids’ struggle to accommodate large variations in renewables.