Households across Great Britain will be encouraged to increase their electricity consumption on sunny weekends this summer to help balance the grid and lower bills, under new plans from the National Energy System Operator (Neso).
The scheme aims to absorb surplus wind and solar power by offering incentives, such as heavily discounted or free electricity, during periods when generation exceeds demand. Energy suppliers will deliver the offers, potentially allowing customers to run dishwashers, washing machines, or charge electric vehicles at low or no cost.
This marks the first time Neso will use such market notices to balance the grid, avoiding costly payments to turn off renewable farms when supply is high. The move comes as Britain expects a record-breaking summer for renewables, with the grid potentially running entirely on zero-carbon electricity for the first time.
Great Britain recently set back-to-back solar records and saw wind power drive gas generation to a two-year low. However, a bright, breezy weekend could overload parts of the grid, risking blackouts due to transmission bottlenecks. Grid upgrades and increased demand from electric vehicles and heat pumps are expected to alleviate this in future.
On gas supply, National Gas anticipates sufficient supplies this summer, relying on North Sea gas from Norway and the UK, with domestic production down 6% but offset by imports. Neso is monitoring the impact of the Middle East conflict on winter supplies, but expects no immediate changes to gas security.
