Paid to use electricity?

On Sunday, 8th May, citizens of Germany actually received payment for using electricity!!! Around 1 pm that day, Germany’s renewable sources of energy – wind, solar, hydro and biomass, all were more power than what was actually needed. They together produced about 55 GW of the 63 GW being consumed, or 87%. At this time, power prices actually went negative for several hours!

Germany plans to produce 100% renewable energy by 2050, and Denmark’s wind turbines already at some points generate more electricity than what is needed; it ends up exporting surplus power produced to Germany, Norway and Sweden.

Wow! Can we see something like happening in India? We are currently dreaming of becoming the largest single producer of solar power in the world. We cannot help but wonder whether that will help resolve not only our power crisis but export surplus too? At a time when we are facing power cuts in so many places across the country, this surplus of renewable energy in Germany shows the “possibility” We have abundant sun, little rain but great winds too. So why can’t we harness it as effectively as Germany? Maybe that’s the technology we need to import….