Last weekend Germany’s power grid was swimming in renewable energy, so much so that power prices went negative. The country was generating so much renewable energy on Sunday that, for a few hours, residents actually earned money from using electricity.
The weather was the cause of this monumental occasion—it was a particularly sunny and windy day—which allowed the country’s wind, solar, hydro, and biomass power plants to supply the country with 87 percent of its energy.
Gas plants actually shutdown because of the momentary surge, but nuclear and coal plants were unable to wind-down fast enough, causing a surplus. This extra power on this grid meant for a limited time, some consumers were earning money keeping the lights on .... http://www.geek.com
