Octopus Energy Urges Households to Cut Power During Solar Eclipse
National Energy System Operator issues warning as 1.3 gigawatts of solar power expected to be lost during Wednesday evening event.
Sarah Connor
Octopus Energy is asking households to avoid using electrical appliances during a solar eclipse on Wednesday.
Neso confirmed the use of its "routine tool," an Electricity Margin Notice (EMN), for Wednesday evening’s peak, an action that simply requested market participants to make any additional generation capacity available.
The notice, issued as a precautionary measure due to the solar eclipse, carried no risk to customer electricity supplies, a Neso spokesman reiterated.
Solar energy had accounted for a national record of 14.4% of all power generated in the UK in July; the darkening skies were expected to reduce solar power generation by 300MW to 1,100MW.
Octopus Energy, serving approximately eight million UK customers, urged people to avoid using plug-in appliances and devices such as dishwashers, games consoles, and washing machines during the eclipse.
This action would lower solar-powered electricity generation just as demand for energy surged, Octopus Energy claimed, as people finished work and returned home for the evening.
Demand for electricity was also expected to rise due to a heatwave, increasing the need for air conditioning and refrigeration; electricity market prices climbed to highs not seen since late June.
Kieron Stopforth claimed that half a million customers already participated in “demand-shifting” programmes, noting a wider “need to create the right price signals in the market that incentivise more flexible energy use.”
He also claimed that it remained a voluntary process; Rebecca Dibb-Simkin stated that by shifting everyday tasks like the washing machine or dishwasher until later, households could help reduce the need for gas power stations and earn rewards for their contribution.
Octopus Energy claimed that if enough households delayed using electricity for a short time during the eclipse, it could reduce the need for Great Britain’s electricity system operator to fire up extra gas-fired stations to replace the lost solar power.
To be clear, there is no risk to customer electricity supplies.
The initial notice forecast a potentially tight period for electricity margins between 6pm and 8pm on Wednesday, allowing production to increase if necessary to boost capacity in the grid.
However, Neso cancelled the notice shortly after 2pm on Wednesday; a spokesman reiterated, "To be clear, there is no risk to customer electricity supplies."