You hear and read a lot about energy storage. Farmers who generate energy, for example with solar panels or a windmill, and then store that energy in a large battery. They can use their own energy at times when the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing.
That is indeed one of the advantages. But there's much more!
Energy prices vary per hour
Not everyone knows, but energy prices fluctuate all the time. The price of energy depends on supply and demand. Both the demand (how much electricity we use together) and the supply (how much electricity is generated) differ per moment. As a result: one day you spend more than the other day. And one day you get more for your returned energy than the other day.
This is perhaps the biggest advantage to be gained. At times when the sun is shining, for example, a lot of electricity is generated (a lot of supply). As a result, the electricity price falls. You can buy cheap power at those times, but you will also receive little for the power you feed back. The same applies the other way around: when there is more demand, energy prices rise again.
Negative electricity prices for 4 hours a day
It happens more and more often that there is so much electricity that electricity prices are negative. That has advantages and disadvantages. If you feed power back at those moments, you pay money for it! You want to avoid that at all times. But if you buy power at that time, you will receive money (ideal if you have a battery to store that energy).
In 2020 there were negative prices for 500 hours. In the years that followed, that increased to 800 hours (2021) and 1.200 hours (2022). For 2023, 1.500 hours are already taken into account, which is an average of about 4 hours per day.
Advantage through smart purchasing and selling
With a Energy Storage System (EOS) to combine with a Smart Energy Management System (S-EMS), an entrepreneur can take advantage of these price fluctuations. The combination ensures that:
For example, sometimes it is smarter to sell self-generated energy for a good price, while using cheaply purchased energy from a battery. In this way, the entrepreneur makes smart use of the advantages of varying energy prices.
Learn more
Want to know more? Energy Shift already has quite a few Energy Storage Systems operating in the Netherlands. Check out the website for more information (and a handy video) or request one without obligation quote us.