@transparent I wonder, how many heads might you be able to knock together at once?😉 Toodles.

The generator (Derril Water Solar Farm) should have a contract with the grid operator for transmission. If the grid operator is unable to fulfil their contractual obligations around transmission for whatever reason, then the generator will be entitled to compensation for their financial losses, commonly known as constraints or curtailment payments as the grid operator is in breech of contract.

Posted by: @old_scientist

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The generator (Derril Water Solar Farm) should have a contract with the grid operator for transmission. If the grid operator is unable to fulfil their contractual obligations around transmission for whatever reason, then the generator will be entitled to compensation for their financial losses, commonly known as constraints or curtailment payments as the grid operator is in breech of contract.

 

Unfortunately it isn't yet live on the CfD contract by the look of things, this is  why it hasn't been getting CfD payments yet  I assume and does not hence get curtailment payments in general. Until then everything is at risk anyway which should have been made much clearer with all these sort of investments. They should really only have been advertised to FCA Sophisticated Investors, they really aren't suitable for standard retail investors. 

A generator doesn't immediately go under a CfD contract after the first time it exports, in fact in the past some wind turbines held off as they could get more money in the open market for their electricity.... 

The expected start date was 1st July 2026 with a long stop July 2027. 

https://register.lowcarboncontracts.uk/AR6-DWS-700/

I assume there are no contractual obligations before this which is why they have been told that they have no insurance cover or compensation. 

You would also need to check if there were any get out clauses in the CfD contract when it actually kicks in. 

Having got caught out myself with green investments, I would strongly urge people not to get involved unless they were OK loosing all their investment. I got lucky, once with compensation instructed by the FOS, the other time with compensation via the FSCS. Many are not so lucky.

This is a typical FCA warning more recently introduced for these sort of investments

@jeff I am well aware of the riskiness of such investments and have risked no more than I can afford to lose - but I would rather not for all that😉 Regards, Toodles.

Readers here please note that Derril Water and many other renewable-energy generation sites in Devon and Cornwall are still not feeding into the grid.

I am in contact with NESO to clarify what is the origin of the problem. It is related to a lack of Reactive Power Support in the West Country whilst the CCGT plant at Langage (Plymouth) is offline for scheduled maintenance. NESO use reactive power within the mechanism for voltage-control.

When grid voltage levels rise above the statutory levels, generation sites using inverters will switch off to comply with G98/99 regulations. That creates an excess of demand over supply, resulting in grid frequency falling.

That's what occurred in Spain on 28th April 2025, as can be seen in this combined chart from the ENTSO-e Incident Report, section 1.3

Most solar and wind generation in Devon and Cornwall connects via Route-K between Indian Queens and Alverdiscott. Derril Water is at the Pyworthy Bulk Supply Point, midway between those two Grid Supply Points.

There is to be a public meeting to inform residents about How the Grid Works, and BESS technology on Thursday 24th Sept, hosted by the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE). It's at the Community Hall, Alverdiscott. 

I will be delivering the (highly illustrated) presentation on grid functionality... in case you live in the vicinity and you'd like to see just how Transparent I am. But with a seating capacity of 90 for the venue, it might be standing room only.

There has been a flurry of activity surrounding NESO over past week.

The national media will be focusing on this submission from NESO on the Extreme Heat in the week 22nd-26th June, which was supplied to Ofgem on 11th Sept
and this Report from Eversheds into the internal operations of NESO and its Control Room, which was handed to NESO on Monday (19th Oct).

Both are extremely informative and worthy of a discussion topic on their own.

NESO describe an array of mechanisms which they use to manage the electricity grid. These include Balancing Reserve, Dynamic Containment High, Reactive Power compensation, Dynamic Moderation, Static Firm Frequency Response, Positive and Negative Quick Reserve, Demand Control Rotation protocol and Emergency Assistance.

Please pay attention at the back. There'll be a test in a moment..!

What the national media probably won't notice is this published article on Devon community solar shutdown by Dr Simon Pirani.

He is a journalist, scientist and well-regarded contributor to The Ecologist magazine, and has been investigating the renewable energy generation issues which occurred in the West Country from May to Sept '26.

The article identifies other solar farms, apart from Derril Water, which were also required to cease export to the grid over those four months.

Both the events on 15th May in the West Country, and those in the week starting 22nd June, involve NESO invoking Emergency Assistance. On its own that's not unusual.

What differs between these events is that those in June are characterised by the need to balance supply and demand, whilst May's trigger was the lack of Reactive Power Compensation.

Balancing Supply and Demand can be more easily understood. The standard set of mechanisms available to NESO can achieve a resolution, even when there are also equipment failures, which there were in June.

But procuring more Reactive Power Compensation is itself the mechanism by which NESO stabilises/reduces network voltages. In May, it was the tool itself which was deficient.

I'll let you read the article first before I comment further.

I'm running another Energy Seminar on How the Grid Works this coming Monday (26th) at 11am in Hatherleigh Community Centre, central Devon. That will be the next occasion when homeowners in the West Country can raise these issues and try to understand how to respond to the growing clamour for yet more solar farms in the area.

Posted by: @transparent

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There has been a flurry of activity surrounding NESO over past week.

The national media will be focusing on this submission from NESO on the Extreme Heat in the week 22nd-26th June, which was supplied to Ofgem on 11th Sept
and this Report from Eversheds into the internal operations of NESO and its Control Room, which was handed to NESO on Monday (19th Oct).

I also noticed that, good to know it is not usual.

but clearly neso’s website is not critical enough to be kept up during all of daytime. It has been down.. 

NESOs website, and millions of others, are taken down due to a critical cyber security problem with PHP

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmly0lg3w5x2o

Neso website not critical enough to be brought back up very quickly. 
Now up…