UK Spends £1 Billion in 2025 to NOT Generate Electricity

What happens when politicians who don't understand how power distribution and generation work pass laws about power generation and distribution? Britons spend £1 billion to switch off wind farms this year

The wind farms in the United Kingdom are typically remote from urban centers. So when a storm rolls through and generates a lot of power, the UK grid PAYS the wind farms to NOT generate any electric power. Why? Because they don't have a hope of getting that power to where it is needed.

And one thing that people miss, is that power generated and power consumed need to be in balance. When they fall out of balance you get blackouts, as happened in Europe recently.

But back to the UK.

Energy billpayers have spent a record £1 billion this year to switch off wind turbines because of flaws in the UK’s drive for net zero.

In a single day, October 1, Britain’s electricity operator paid wind farm operators £1.3 million in compensation for lost revenue after ordering them to switch off turbines to avoid overloading the grid. At the same time the grid operator was forced to pay £4.9 million to buy energy from abroad and switch on more expensive gas power generation to meet demand.

"How hard can it be?" That question will be asked by people who haven't taken a science course since high school.

Here is an explanation of the situation. Storm Amy brings negative electricity prices to UK

UK wholesale power prices turn negative when there is too much electricity generation, often from wind and solar, and not enough demand, so the grid needs buyers to take the excess in order to remain balanced.

Basically when generation is too high, you have to pay to inject your generated power into the grid. So if you can turn off your generation, you do.

I don't think the change the retail prices during that time, though they might to encourage more demand.

Hat tip to MGUY Australia and his video Net Zero MADNESS: UK pays £1 BILLION to turn wind turbines OFF