Negative energy prices are increasingly becoming a reality in the energy market. This happens when there is a surplus of electricity, for example due to high production of solar and wind energy at times when the demand is low. In such cases, energy prices can even fall below zero. For users with dynamic energy contracts, this means that feeding into the grid not only generates nothing, but actually costs money.
One of our customers noticed a sudden increase in their energy costs, despite delivering a significant amount of energy back to the grid. This was due to negative energy prices — moments when feeding energy into the grid not only generates no revenue but incurs costs. With the Embion EMS, we resolved this issue by optimizing energy usage and minimizing expenses.
The Embion EMS is designed to seamlessly respond to the ever-changing dynamics of the energy market. The system operates fully automatically, continuously monitoring EPEX prices. When prices turn negative, the EMS takes swift action: the energy generated is first used locally as efficiently as possible. If there is still a surplus, production is reduced by scaling down inverters, preventing energy from being fed into the grid at a loss.
Should negative prices persist, the system may even opt to draw energy from the grid. In such cases, the Embion EMS temporarily halts production, leveraging cheaper grid energy to create a financial advantage. Rather than incurring losses, this smart approach transforms a challenge into an opportunity — turning volatile market prices into potential profit.
As the energy market evolves, innovative technologies like the Embion EMS not only help businesses keep pace with change but empower them to capitalize on it.