Posted by: @toodles

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OE have just notified me of the second ‘Free Electricity’ event.

Plus if you have a smart that doesn't communicate, like mine, you can still participate h if registered etc. As you receive the average of everyone else's usage during the free period. Use more or not you should still receive a credit to your account.

"What if my smart meter doesn't work?

As long as you're in Octoplus, you can still take part in Free Electricity. If we don't receive your smart readings, we'll credit you the value for the average extra power used by all Octoplus members after each session."

Billy bonus.

Of course, the green solar generation available from the grid will be at a possible peak of domestic solar generation so I am not sure that I’ll need much energy from the grid at that time. I will endeavour to ‘help out’ ; there is th battery to charge, the DHW to heat, and laundry might come day early. The induction hob might need to cook lunch… Toodles.

@johnmo Very fair and generous I think, fine chappie that Gregg Jackson! 😉 Toodles.

@toodles

Rather than encouraging consumers to use more energy, in an ideal World excess generation should be being stored in bulk storage battery systems or even used to produce Hydrogen to power gas fired generation in the Winter.

Let's have an outbreak of common sense.

Posted by: @derek-m

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stored in bulk storage battery systems or even used to produce Hydrogen to power gas fired generation in the Winter.

Let's have an outbreak of common sense.

That's all coming - it takes time. In the meantime time put the dishwasher or washing machine on time shift your usage to help the grid soak up the excess.

@derek-m ‘An outbreak of common sense’ Now that really would be good! Meanwhile Joe (and Josephine) Public must be totally confused by the pricing structure, pleas to use less power, use power at other than peak times, use your own solar power, export your power, store your own / grid energy in a battery for later use, charge cars at night, use E7, use lots when it is green and so on and so forth…. 

I suppose this latest idea has come about because our system just doesn’t have the flexibility as we can’t stop some forms of generation when suddenly they realise there is likely to be an excess for an hour or so! I think the problem is the dinosaur we know as fossil fuel power generation, we need it - then we don’t need it ‘cos we have solar and wind power available for some hours.

As you say we need storage rather than just using power for the sheer hell of it! Setups like my own obviously do help solar 8.1 kWp. and 27kWh of powerwall storage, but that is just a micro drop in a very big tank. What incentives are required to encourage large scale storage - or have we got it all backwards and we should be using more efficient methods to control the means of generation so that the dirty energy is not produced unless all else has failed to keep up with demand? I’m told that starting up some methods of generation are time consuming and cannot be turned on and off like a tap - and we end up with this totally illogical situation that means we (the end customers) have to pay more so that energy suppliers can be paid not to produce power! Darft I call it! Regrets, Toodles.

A further thought or two: we need the ability to store a few GigaWatt hours to smooth out supply to match demand (though surely it would be much better if the demand were flattened out by intelligent means) but the means to store is the big question isn’t it?

I would imagine that batteries are the quickest to plan, manufacture and set up but probably not the best in terms of capacity. Pumped Hydro would I imagine have the greater capacity but take very much longer to implement and finding sites could also be a challenge. There are also schemes that suggest we use thermal storage in one form or another.

Going back to batteries; there seems to be a very large range of designs around at the moment and who can know what the next 1 - 5 years might bring? However decisions will have to be made and a commitment made. I remember the saying about waiting to buy the latest computer as there is always something better just round the corner! I imagine this will apply to energy storage just as much! Regards, Toodles.

@toodles

The major problem is that the generating companies, the energy traders, the national grid, the DNO's and the electricity supply companies all need to make a profit. There is also no one in overall charge of the system, so as Transparent has frequently pointed out, renewable generators are asking to connect into the system at a point best suited for them, and not for the overall system or the consumers.

Until there are vast amounts (GWh's worth) of bulk storage, located in the most opportune places, and under the control of NG and the DNO's there is always going to be the need for what you term fossil fuel generation.

@derek-m Could it be that this lies behind OE’s idea of giving away this excess energy for an hour; thus highlighting the stupidity of our energy programme? Toodles.

Posted by: @toodles

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@derek-m Could it be that this lies behind OE’s idea of giving away this excess energy for an hour; thus highlighting the stupidity of our energy programme? Toodles.

I think it's purely commercial.  When there excess energy the retailers are paid for consumption (IE the wholesale price is negative).  Thus it's in their commercial interest to give away as much as possible.

Believe in Scotland among other things like pumped hydro the spinning reserve will be used to make hydrogen, trial site are being being built near Inverness.