wattmatters
Solar Wizard
I can't speak for the 3 free hour plan but the plan I am on it's the exact same rates as their normal plan, except for the free period.
Who gets free energy from the grid (or even paid to consume)?
- Thread starter wattmatters
- Start date
olivinelife
New Member
While not "free", California is likely moving towards midday being a "super off-peak" TOU with relatively lower rates.
The obvious solution is more batteries everywhere. At least batteries in everyone's home can provide ancillary benefits other than making money via arbitrage, unlike residential rooftop PV whose one trick pony is to make money at the expense of all other parties.
The obvious solution is more batteries everywhere. At least batteries in everyone's home can provide ancillary benefits other than making money via arbitrage, unlike residential rooftop PV whose one trick pony is to make money at the expense of all other parties.
Here in Californication, the politicians would figure out how much to charge you for the air you breathe with a muzzle meter if they could. Charging you for sunshine is not out of the question and neither is an exit tax with retroactive and subsequent fees, so free electricity? I’m more likely to twitch an appendage and be able to fly.
shavermcspud
Solar Enthusiast
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2020
- Messages
- 591
We have something called powerups in the UK if you are with a certain energy provider,when there is excess green energy. use as much as you can within the set time frame and its free. We also have saving sessions when the grid is high demand and you get paid (sometimes silly high amounts to export) highest I have seen for a saving session is £4.15 per kWh exported or roughly $5 per kWh. we have had in the past a powerup followed by a saving session an hour later. Charge the battery pack up for free then dump is back an hour later for some decent profit.
I'm on a TOU tariff in the UK, where electricity is priced based on the wholesale costs every half hour. We get occasional times when too much is being generated (usually during stormy weather) and rates drop below zero. There were a few days at the start of April where rates dropped below zero, and also last Christmas when there were a few hours of zero or lower cost. I had all my electric heaters and charged my batteries up to full on that day 
wattmatters
Solar Wizard
We have those in Australia as well, the best known is Amber Electric. You pay a monthly subscription and everything else is wholesale pricing pass through, with no retail mark up. They also operate a smart battery management system that will charge and discharge your battery based on the prices. Occasionally some are making $100 in one evening if there are system price spikes. But it requires enough storage so you avoid importing energy yourself.
Whether this works for any individual home depends on many factors, but as an example, this is the average wholesale electricity price in the state of Victoria by 5-min intervals for the full year 2023:
Can see that, on average, the wholesale price from ~ 10:30AM to 2:00PM is negative. Naturally this varies with seasons. Similar pattern in South Australia and Tasmania, less so in my state NSW and north in QLD. Same pricing curve just the average prices are not negative as frequently.
The tariff I'm on (Octopus Energy's Agile) still has the retail mark up, and an extra mark up from 4pm to 7pm to discourage people from using power during that time. I also pay a fixed daily charge of £0.42 which isn't terrible. Recent unit rates haven't been great. Today the cheapest is £0.105 at 6-6:30am, and the highest is £0.337 at 6:30-7pm. The maximum price is capped at £0.99, but I've never seen it go to more than £0.66 on a really bad day. Lowest I've seen was around £-0.20.
jwd
New Member
If you charge your battery today (Sunday) in The Netherlands you'll get paid a small fee when you are on a dynamic contract.
Prices below are ex. taxes so you still pay transport fees etc.
Prices below are ex. taxes so you still pay transport fees etc.
wattmatters
Solar Wizard
Is that excess solar PV driving that price pattern?
IIRC The Netherlands has quite a high penetration of solar PV but presumably also wind power including from neighbouring countries.
Live 24/7 CO₂ emissions of electricity consumption
Electricity Maps is a live 24/7 visualization of where your electricity comes from and how much CO2 was emitted to produce it.
app.electricitymaps.com
wpns
Solar Joules are catch and release
Florida Power and Light (FPL) has TOU rates that are pretty insulting, and an EV charging rate (nearly $40/month) that lets you charge 'free' during off-peak times. I can't easily find it, but I ran across an industrial(?) rate that was crazy low if your consumption was constant. It's such an obfuscated mess that in FL we just try to conserve. Insulating the attic was the big win, not sure it's worth chasing more low-hanging fruit (condo, so no solar for you).
jwd
New Member
Solar and wind combined with mild temperatures (no heating or cooling needed) makes that we have had a lot of negative price action this year.Is that excess solar PV driving that price pattern?
IIRC The Netherlands has quite a high penetration of solar PV but presumably also wind power including from neighbouring countries.
Live 24/7 CO₂ emissions of electricity consumption
Electricity Maps is a live 24/7 visualization of where your electricity comes from and how much CO2 was emitted to produce it.
In fact we have so much (domestic) solar that energy companies started charging up to 0,12 euro/kWh when you deliver your PV power to the grid if you are on a 1:1 net metering contract.
I guess we will see some extra ESS being installed the next few months ;-).
OffGridForGood
Catch, make or grow everything you can.
We can always count on @wattmatters for links to detailed data !
The link to "Live24/7 CO2 emissions of electricity Consumption" - this is quite interesting - it also shows the exports from one area to an adjacent one.
For all the PV solar in NSW it looks from the link that a lot more potential reductions are available, I should check again during your daylight time.
Brucey
Solar Wizard
What's the max draw you can pull from the utility?
wpns
Solar Joules are catch and release
My PoCo wants to swap out my mechanical meter (I _had_ net metering) with one that can be programmed for Positive Power, Negative Power, and "Add them up and we charge you for positive _and_ negative!". Managing to hold them off till I get my offgrid system installed, then I can use the ChargeVerter(s) to only buy power on occasion.
The problem with these 'plans' is they are a moving target, and they can move faster than you can react. Don't make long-term plans based on today's electricity market.
The problem with these 'plans' is they are a moving target, and they can move faster than you can react. Don't make long-term plans based on today's electricity market.
KnobCountry
Leg puller. Zap avoider.
Free Electricity Plan - Just Energy
Do more during the nights or weekends and save on your electric bill.
justenergy.com
Champion Energy Plans Reviews - Which Plan is Best?
Champion Energy has the best free weekends plan in Texas. Read reviews of Champion Energy plans to find the best for your home.
electricityplans.com
Power companies dangle free nights and weekends
Drawing on technologies that allow real-time metering, electricity providers offer customized usage plans
www.cbsnews.com
Electricity Plans Powered By Sunshine | Green Mountain Energy | Green Mountain Energy
Your home can be powered by sunshine when you sign up with Green Mountain Energy and select one of our eco-friendly clean energy plans.
www.greenmountainenergy.com
Promotions | V247 Power
v247power.com
Etna Free Nights & Weekends Electricity Rates & Plans
Power your nights and weekends for free in Etna, OH. Explore Ohio electricity plans with Free Nights and Weekends and enjoy savings on your energy costs.
ohio.energyadvisr.com
wpns
Solar Joules are catch and release
Those plans are great, except when the details allow the PoCo to charge arbitrarily high rates during "On-Peak" times, and they can vary dynamically. Ask the folks in Texas about the winter storm: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/17/puc-appeals-court-uri-prices/Free Electricity Plan - Just Energy
Do more during the nights or weekends and save on your electric bill.
Champion Energy Plans Reviews - Which Plan is Best?
Champion Energy has the best free weekends plan in Texas. Read reviews of Champion Energy plans to find the best for your home.
Power companies dangle free nights and weekends
Drawing on technologies that allow real-time metering, electricity providers offer customized usage plans
Electricity Plans Powered By Sunshine | Green Mountain Energy | Green Mountain Energy
Your home can be powered by sunshine when you sign up with Green Mountain Energy and select one of our eco-friendly clean energy plans.
Promotions | V247 Power
Etna Free Nights & Weekends Electricity Rates & Plans
Power your nights and weekends for free in Etna, OH. Explore Ohio electricity plans with Free Nights and Weekends and enjoy savings on your energy costs.
wattmatters
Solar Wizard
That depends on your connection rating. Typical single phase homes will have a 63 A or an 80 A supply (@ 230 V AC). So ~15-18 kW.
We have a three phase supply but are limited to 32 A / phase (rural). Our mains supply fuses are 60 A but I was required to limit our draw with a 32 A x 3-phase breaker, so technically we are limited to ~ 7.5 kW per phase.
I managed to peak at just a touch under 17 kW yesterday. Homes in more urban areas with 3-phase would likely have 3 x 63 A limits, so up to ~15 kW per phase.
wattmatters
Solar Wizard
You absolutely need smart load control for those situations.
wpns
Solar Joules are catch and release
Well, of course, but to talk about 'having power' when it's $9/KWHR is a bit disingenuous. You might as well not have grid power when your smart load control turns everything off.
wattmatters
Solar Wizard
Probably easier to use this site instead:
OpenNEM: An Open Platform for National Electricity Market Data
An Open Platform for National Electricity Market Data
opennem.org.au
Gives an easier view over various time scales.
Similar threads
