LONDON, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Britain will encourage households and businesses to use more electricity during summer months as renewable generation surges, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) said Tuesday, highlighting a shift in grid management from saving power to boosting consumption.
In its annual Summer Outlook, NESO said the electricity system is expected to remain "secure and resilient," but warned that rising solar output combined with seasonally low demand could result in more frequent periods of excess supply.
To address this imbalance, the grid operator will expand its demand flexibility service, offering payments and incentives to consumers who increase electricity use at specific times, such as running appliances or charging electric vehicles when renewable output is high.
"Tools such as the demand flexibility service not only reward consumers and businesses for flexible electricity use but also strengthen the resilience and efficiency of the electricity network," said Deborah Petterson, director of resilience and emergency management at NESO.
The move comes as Britain's energy system undergoes rapid structural change driven by renewable expansion. Official data show solar capacity has risen more than 700-fold since 2010 to over 22 gigawatts, with a government target of up to 47 gigawatts by 2030.
Recent sunny weather has already pushed solar generation to record levels, at times exceeding demand and driving wholesale electricity prices into negative territory. Prices fell as low as minus 81 pounds (about 101 U.S. dollars) per megawatt-hour during midday trading earlier this month, according to market data.
Industry indicators suggest the trend is accelerating. According to the Financial Times, solar panel sales rose 54 percent in the first three weeks of March compared with the previous month, citing data from Octopus Energy, the UK's largest retail electricity supplier.
Analysts say heightened energy price volatility linked to geopolitical tensions is further encouraging households and businesses to invest in solar power and other alternatives, reinforcing the shift toward decentralized generation.
The growing share of rooftop solar, much of which is not directly connected to the high-voltage transmission network, is also reducing system visibility and adding complexity to grid management.
Under the expanded scheme, consumers can benefit financially by shifting electricity use to periods of abundant renewable generation, with payments offered through suppliers in the form of direct rewards, lower tariffs or other incentives, NESO said.
Factories could also participate by adjusting production schedules to take advantage of cheaper electricity during peak solar output.
Encouraging additional consumption may in some cases prove more cost-effective than compensating renewable generators to curtail production, NESO added. ■
