Energy Prices

Scot_39

Magnitio said:

No. They won't be ever increasing. They will fluctuate. If we invest more in renewables, the hourly/daily rate may fluctuate by even more significant amounts and be more dependent on the weather. If greater energy storage capacity is developed alongside renewables, then these fluctuations will be less of an issue and will make average pricing for the consumer easier to predict.

Sad fact is their to my knowledge one major storage scheme being built at a grid level. That's Coire Glas pumped storage hydro.

Which will - in a few years - store c 30GWh, and deliver a peak 1.5GW supply.

When Hunterston was built, we built a new PSH plant at Ben Cruachan - specifically to maximise its benefit - store its off peak output - boost grid supply at peak.

As a nation we have lost that long term planning.

Edit "although it is obvious from posts on here individuals are moving over to battery storage in the home to maximise gains from either solar panels or even just cheap time of use E7 style tariffs"

Especially when it comes to wind.

Wind right now generating over 15GW - at 2pm update.

3 weeks ago it was delivering sub 3GW for days on end during the bitter cold snap as demand peaked  - and the uk spot price was nearly 10x that right now - averaging c£670 daily cf current £70 ( to be fair that was£200 yesterday art 2pm).  With a peak of £2500 c6pm daily.

Coire Glas will once completed (cost estimate over £1bn at planning stage - now ?) only replace 1.5GW of that 12GW difference - and then only for 20 hours max.

And with wind / solar renewables an ever increasing share of our installed capacity  - around another 17GW auctioned for delivery 2023-2027 in 2019/22 and a further planned loss of 5GW plus coal and nuclear in that timescale.

That variability in renewables delivery is not only going to risk destabilising uk prices, but our very ability to meet demand on still days - our energy security

dealyboy

ariarnia said:

i dont know that things ever become cheaper than they were (no more penny sweets!) but cost is relative to wages and other expenses and things tend to balance out after a period of high inflation. ever is also a big word. new tech will be invented and energy could even be free in the future. or renewables could never really manage to met demand fossil fuels run out and energy becomes the most valuable comodity on the planet. but i think by the time ether of those situations comes about we will have bigger problems to worry about (if we're even still here )

no more penny sweets!
Have you missed MSE_James award winning thread https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6413329/share-your-post-christmas-yellow-sticker-successes/p1