Energy Matters Global and Domestic

[Gibbo2286]

This is a bit dated but you may not have seen it.

[mickthemaverick]

I came across this BigClive look at a smart meter and it confirms to me why I won't have one!!

[myglaren]

Saw that a while back and is one of the reasons that I am holding off to the bitter end.

[bobins]

"Last week there was a widespread blackout across Iberia which also briefly affected the south of France. All power was lost on the peninsula and it was many hours before it was fully restored after a rare black start. Eight people are reported to have died – one in Portugal and seven in Spain – as a result of the blackout, highlighting the seriousness of the situation.

......At 12:33 the Spanish grid experienced an as yet un-identified fault followed 1.5 seconds later by what appears to be a large trip. This caused frequency instability. 3.5 seconds later, the Iberian Peninsula grid disconnected from the rest of Europe, tripping the interconnectors to France – rated at 2.5 GW. All nuclear reactors connected to the grid also tripped off."

An informative article on the current (geddit ? ) problems with switching away from high inertia (old skool) electricity generation to 'renewables' - though the problem can be overcome once technology catches up with the problems. It's a long read and will probably only appeal to one or two people on here who want to learn !
Worth the read to educate yourself though. And yes, there's a few typos in it.

(much) More at : https://watt-logic.com/2025/05/09/the-i ... w-inertia/

[mickthemaverick]

Reading through that brought back some memories, thanks bobins!! Like a revision course for my HNC electrical engineering. All good stuff though and it never hurts to find out how much you remember, sadly a lot more about that than about last week's lunches!!

[bobins]

"In a significant blow to the government's clean energy ambitions the Danish energy company Orsted has cancelled plans for a huge windfarm off the coast of East Yorkshire.
The Hornsea 4 project would have become one of the biggest offshore wind farms in the world with a potential capacity of 2.4GW – enough to power more than a million homes.
Orsted said the project no longer made economic sense, despite signing a 15-year contract with the UK government guaranteeing to sell power at an agreed price.
The UK's offshore wind sector has faced soaring costs in recent years, as the government has acknowledged.
But this is the second developer to pull out of a major offshore project.
The Swedish company Vattenfall halted development of a 1.4GW wind farm off the coast of Norfolk in July 2023, again due to rising costs.
That project was sold to the German energy company RWE, which has said it plans to see the project through."

More at the Beeb : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce848g8l8vro

[PaulC5]

The government has lifted a ban on onshore wind so possibly offshore projects will be cancelled and then cheaper onshore will happen. Wonder if turbines could be installed amongst the solar panels.

[Gibbo2286]

Got this this morning for PowerVault who supplied my solar battery:
1B@3x (1)
em header downloadv3
IT'S PAY BACK TIME
Unlock new value from your Powervault battery - without moving a muscle. Sign up to our pioneering flexibility scheme today and get a £50 gift card. And that's just the beginning.

Hi Eric,



We want to help Powervault Customers save on their energy bills and even earn money from their batteries so we're going to create a virtual power plant. The first 100 Powervault Customers to sign up to join this pioneering scheme by the end of June will be rewarded with a £50 gift card.

Sign Me Up
What Exactly is the Scheme?
With the electrification of just about everything, our grid network can become overloaded or undersupplied - so it needs to be rebalanced to prevent blackouts.

When Powervault's fleet of batteries are grouped together, they can provide the flexibility and extra storage capacity needed for a healthy, balanced grid.



You could be paid to either charge, or discharge your battery at scheduled times. And with all commands managed by Powervault you don't need to lift a finger.



(This does not affect your current import or export energy tariff or supplier, that can stay as is.)

What Happens Next?
June is sign up month. July is for testing. In August we start trading in the energy markets. September to February is the winter earnings period and when potential payments will start to come through.



We've chosen Voltalis as our technology and energy trading partner as they have a long history of working in consumer led flexibility markets. Click below to see our joint website with further information and sign up form.

Take Part
As always, if you have more questions, please get in touch or reply to this email.



Best wishes,

The Powervault Team

[bobins]

If you know anything about the UK balancing mechanism then you'll know that this is purely for their profit and not yours. Balancing supply with demand can be a lucrative business, especially if you don't actually have to pay for the storage as 'Joe Public' has bought it for you. Your batteries will be charged at low rate and their power sold off at higher rate - it may only be a little here and there, but it'll add up over time. This style of balancing usage may actually prove to be quite popular with some energy suppliers as they can offer the energy to the market at a slightly lower price (in order to win that particular 'contract') as they haven't got to recoup initial asset cost.
However you look at it, the UK energy market is skewed towards the supplier and away from the user / consumer.

[Paul-R]

Not to mention that you'll be reducing the lifespan of your batteries and range of the vehicle.

[bobins]

Using 'domestic' batteries to prop up the grid is a little niche at the moment, but will absolutely become more prevalent. It's not just a case of 'cheapest bid wins' and the power is sold off, it depends on location and capacity as much as price. I don't know how big Powervault are - or are planning to be - in the balancing market, but it's entirely possible domestic storage would be aggregated across several different companies to create one standalone balancing supplier who will then bid for the supply contract. These balancing supply contracts can be for relatively short term supply throughout the day so it doesn't necessarily mean the domestic batteries will be hammered each and every day, and the company (in this case Powervault) will be extremely careful not to damage domestic confidence in the balancing concept by caning domestic batteries or curtailing their own domestic supply capabilities. .......Or at least they will in the early days

As ever - there's two sides to the coin. The domestic customer who wants to get a bit more return on their battery investment by selling into the balancing mechanism or who wants a sheen of 'green-ness' to their life vs. someone who doesn't agree with propping up the electiricty supply industry due to the industry's underinvestment and/or government's undercommitment.

[Gibbo2286]

Thanks for the opinions but I think I'm going to give it a go and see how it works out, I can always opt out if I find it doesn't work for me.

[PaulC5]

Looks as if some financial calcs are needed to see if it is to your benefit. You probably know how much your batteries cost to replace so see how this compares with the possible income you might get by joining the scheme. Then look at it if your batteries have various shorter life times and also allow if you do not have your own electricity when you need it so might need to buy some.

[Gibbo2286]

The company offering the service is the battery maker/supplier the batteries have a ten year warranty so as I'm ninety it seems to me they'll outlive me anyway.

[PaulC5]

I would have a look at the warranty small print. If you are using your batteries commercially rather than for domestic use there might be a hidden clause but on the face of it you would think it will be ok. Funny how when we get older I often think things will see me out so no need to worry too much.