Europe faces an unusual problem: ultra-cheap energy

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Owing to the speedy unfold of solar energy, Spanish vitality is more and more low cost. Between 11am and 7pm, the sunniest hours in a sunny nation, costs typically loiter close to zero on wholesale markets (see chart). Even in Germany, which by no affordable definition is a sunny nation, however which has loads of wind, wholesale costs had been unfavorable in 301 of the 8,760 tradable hours final 12 months.

As photo voltaic panels and wind farms take over Europe, the query dealing with the continent’s policymakers is what to do with all the ability they produce. Extremely-low—and certainly unfavorable—costs recommend that it’s not being put to good use at current, reflecting failures in each infrastructure and regulation. There are three important ways in which companies and regulators might set up a extra environment friendly market: sending vitality to areas the place there isn’t a surplus, shifting demand to hours when vitality is plentiful, and storing vitality as electrical energy, gasoline or warmth.

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