Innovation and Sustainability as Drivers for Rural Growth

Innovation and Sustainability as Drivers for Rural Growth

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Entrepreneurship in Rural Areas: Innovation and Sustainability as Drivers of Generational Change

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moeve Environment
By Rafael Hernández

01/09/2026

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Entrepreneurship in Rural Areas: Innovation and Sustainability as Drivers of Generational Change

Environment
The generational shift in rural areas is no longer merely a matter of inheritance; it has evolved into a conscious movement toward innovation. A generation of young professionals is reshaping the rural landscape through technology and a new vision of entrepreneurship that is committed to revitalizing inland Spain. 

Starting a business in rural areas is a viable option that is becoming increasingly popular among many young people today. A new generation of professionals is moving away from big cities and returning to the towns where their parents and grandparents lived; or to rural areas where they hope to build a life that combines technology with the local landscape, helping to make the local economy more resilient.

 

Thanks to improved connectivity in many rural areas, digital skills are opening up new opportunities and driving change in small towns. These projects yield measurable benefits, such as economic returns, collaboration with local residents and government agencies, and environmental regeneration. For example, holapueblo connects people seeking a different quality of life with places in need of residents, or with initiatives focused on specific technological solutions—such as installing network-connected sensors to cooperatively optimize water use and save up to 20%, as proposed by BrioAgro. Furthermore, priorities have shifted, as for many young people, starting a business in rural areas also means accessing a higher quality of life, reducing costs, reconnecting with the environment, and developing projects with a clearer purpose. The region is becoming a space where it is possible to innovate and build models of life and business that are more committed to social, economic, and environmental development.

 

Promoting Young Agriculture

 

The 2024 Annual Report on Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food Indicators states that the Spanish rural environment is home to more than 7.5 million people. However, only 9% of farmers and livestock farmers are under 40 years old, and two out of three producers are expected to retire before 2030. In response, the European Union has allocated 220 million euros to encourage young people to join the rural workforce, demonstrating a significant commitment to supporting the entry of the youngest generation into the sector. Moreover, young people bring a fresh perspective to the countryside, often launching new projects with the clear purpose of caring for and positively impacting the environment.

 

Thus, circular economy initiatives are emerging that take advantage of local resources, such as wood, wild plants, or the sun, to create products and services that do not harm the environment. This encourages a more balanced and sustainable way of life, something that new generations increasingly value.

 

Intergenerational Collaboration

 

Another key aspect is intergenerational collaboration, which is essential to ensuring the continuity and evolution of the rural environment. Young people who move to these areas in search of job opportunities often have technical training and are naturally adept at using digital tools, which allows them to optimize processes. However, this knowledge must be supplemented by the experience of those who have worked and lived there their whole lives.

 

The elderly bring years of practice and an in-depth knowledge of the environment. This combination of traditional knowledge and new competencies is especially valuable in a context where sustainability and efficiency are priorities. In this regard, programs like CULTIVA, which received 1.2 million euros in its latest round of funding, play an important role. Thanks to this initiative, young farmers and livestock farmers can participate in training stays at model farms in other autonomous regions.

 

The LEADER Program, promoted by the European Union, funds projects that diversify the rural economy. These projects range from sustainable tourism to social and cultural innovation to local entrepreneurship. The program’s value lies in its approach of making decisions from within the territory itself through local action groups, which promotes solutions adapted to each community.

 

The future of rural areas ultimately depends on strategically combining digital innovation, local expertise and knowledge, and the enthusiasm of young people to ensure a smooth generational transition. This approach can transform villages from mere stopovers or departure points into vibrant hubs of a more sustainable way of life.

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War in Iran Continues to Create Renewable Energy Opportunities

War in Iran Continues to Create Renewable Energy Opportunities

Aerial view of wind turbines on a hilly landscape under a clear blue sky, promoting renewable energy. by Toàn Đỗ Công via Pexels.  War in Iran continues to push governments, companies, and consumers toward greater interest in Renewables.  It could even .

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War in Iran Continues to Drive Interest in Renewables

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By  and  | August 28, 2026

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Six months after US-Israeli strikes disrupted Middle Eastern fossil fuel production and turned the Strait of Hormuz into a naval battleground, the world is getting a fuller picture of how the Iran war has reshaped the economics of energy.

A handful of new reports show how, by dramatically raising fossil-fuel prices, the conflict has also been pushing governments, companies and consumers towards renewable energy, with a clear set of winners and losers emerging.

Global fossil fuel importers have paid more than $330 billion in extra costs — an amount equal to Finland’s 2025 gross domestic product — since the war began on Feb. 28, according to data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), a Helsinki-based nonprofit. Meanwhile, higher energy prices have been a boon to a handful of oil-and-gas producing countries outside the war zone.

Read more: Iran War Is ‘Supercharging’ Clean Energy Transition, UN Climate Chief Says

Economies that had moved to ditch fossil fuels prior to the war have withstood the crisis better, too. In China, for example, renewable energy projects added since 2020 allowed the country to avoid nearly $8 billion in fossil fuel imports between March and July, CREA estimated.

These transformations could eventually have an effect on the environment: Overall, global greenhouse gas emissions were relatively contained during the first half of the year, inching up just 0.2% compared with the same period a year earlier, according to an early analysis of emissions through mid-year 2026 by the nonprofit Climate Trace.

“Renewables continue to grow. That does seem like good news,” says Ting So, lead analyst for Climate Trace. But he added that the volatility of disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz makes it hard to predict long-term trends.

Winners: Clean Tech and Non-Gulf Fossil-Fuel Producers

China has emerged as a beneficiary of the realignment, leveraging its dominance in green technology manufacturing at a time when soaring oil and gas prices are boosting interest in solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles.

Since the start of the conflict, China has logged five consecutive months of record clean tech exports measured in dollar terms, according to BloombergNEF. In July, Chinese carmakers sold more than half a million EVs and plug-in hybrids to overseas markets, a roughly 150% increase from a year earlier.

War in Iran Continues to Drive Interest in Renewables

Oil-and-gas producers in North and South America have also reaped windfall profits. As buyers shunned Gulf suppliers, fossil fuel companies in the US, Canada and Latin America ramped up production.

While a ceasefire could erode wartime supply premiums, researchers expect some of these market shifts to persist. “The boost to Latin America’s mining sector could remain,” said Rafael Rabioglio, a BNEF analyst, in the report. As high fuel costs accelerate global electrification, demand for critical minerals such as copper and lithium will benefit major producers including Chile and Peru in the long term.

Losers: Gulf States and Import-Dependent Regions

In the Persian Gulf, drone strikes and explosions have damaged key facilities, including Saudi Arabia’s largest oil refinery and a key liquefied natural gas export terminal in Qatar. Coupled with shipping bottlenecks, initial export losses across the Gulf averaged nearly $2 billion per day in March, according to an estimate from Rice University.

Beyond lost revenue, the war also damaged as much as $58 billion worth of energy infrastructure, which requires costly repairs, according to an April estimate by consulting firm Rystad Energy. The conflict also threatens to stall the region’s transition into a greener economy. “The war has driven up the cost of debt in the region, undermining clean power project economics in the near term,” BNEF analysts said in their report.

Import-dependent economies like Japan and South Korea, meanwhile, are suffering collateral damage. The two Asian nations, which depended on shipments through the Strait of Hormuz for most of their oil supplies prior to the Iran war, had no choice but to absorb higher fuel prices. In Africa, where many countries are net importers of refined oil products, the soaring prices have fueled a broader economic crisis. Ethiopia, for instance, recently experienced currency selloffs, forcing the country to draw down billions of dollars in its foreign exchange reserves to defend the weakening birr.

Accelerated Transition

The burden of higher energy prices has fallen disproportionately on developing economies. Poorer nations spent an additional 1% of their GDP absorbing the price shock, CREA found. That’s more than double the economic drag experienced by wealthier states.

As they seek to break up with fossil fuels, African nations are scrambling to add renewable energy. The region as a whole imported 37% more solar equipment from China in the first half of 2026 than in the same period last year, BNEF data showed. The current boom has spread across the entire continent, from South Africa to Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo and Egypt.

“In countries where consumers are not being well shielded from higher fuel prices, they are moving very quickly to adjust their energy consumption pattern,” said Ethan Zindler, a BNEF analyst.

That same trend is also happening across developing Asia. For instance, in the Philippines — where initial fuel shortages prompted the government to mandate a four-day workweek to save on energy — demand for solar products has surged. In March, the country’s imports of Chinese solar equipment jumped 262% year-over-year.

EV adoption has accelerated, too. Monthly EV sales almost doubled in the Philippines and Indonesia in June and July compared to the same period in 2025, according to BNEF. In India, monthly passenger EV sales reached 30,000 units in those two months, up from fewer than 20,000 units last year.

In the first half of 2026, slight emissions reductions by China and the US, the world’s largest polluters, were balanced out by increases in India and Brazil, the Climate Trace analysis found.

At the same time, fears that this year’s energy-market disruptions would lead to a major near-term increase in coal-fired power did not become a reality, according to the results. Instead, over the first six months of the year, renewable energy actually expanded more quickly, So says.

“That’s a positive development that maybe not everyone thought” would happen, he says.

 

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US-Iran War Spurs Energy Transition Across Continents

US-Iran War Spurs Energy Transition Across Continents

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US-Iran War Spurs Energy Transition Across Continents

 

BRUSSELS/LONDON/SINGAPORE, Aug 26 (Reuters) – Six months into the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, governments across Europe and Asia are scrambling to accelerate a renewables build-out in a bid to cut dependence on fossil fuel imports, providing a fresh impetus to the global energy transition.

As the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has choked off a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments, governments from South Korea and Thailand to the European Union have pledged to increase funding for renewables.

Has the conflict delivered a boon to the clean energy transition? Here are some ways to measure the impact.

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US-Iran War Spurs Energy Transition Across Continents

RENEWABLES ARE SURGING, BUT COAL IS ALSO UP

Renewable power output is soaring across the world, and the International Energy Agency (IEA) expects it to become the top electricity source for the first time this year.

Since the war began, rooftop solar has proved attractive because it is quick and cheap to install. In the Philippines, high power prices driven by costlier imported fuel are pushing households and businesses onto solar, while a battery subsidy scheme is fuelling a rooftop resurgence in Australia.

European demand for rooftop systems has also jumped since the war began.

But coal is rising too. With the Strait of Hormuz closed and renewables still unable to guarantee round-the-clock power, coal-fired generation is set to grow — though the IEA’s forecast 8.5% jump in renewable output this year dwarfs the 1.4% rise in coal.

In the United States, where President Donald Trump has opposed green energy, renewable generation rose 10% in the first half of the year from the same period in 2025.

EMISSIONS ARE STILL CLIMBING

Even as renewable generation surges, the IEA expects emissions of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change to rise 1.1% this year to an all-time high of 14.2 billion tonnes.

In 2027, the IEA expects coal output to dip by 0.7%, but gas-fired power generation to rise 1.5% from this year’s levels. Curbing climate change will require even more renewable energy and investments in power grids and energy storage.

ASIA BEARS THE BRUNT

Asian economies most dependent on oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz have absorbed the sharpest shock.

China leaned hard into solar, with output rising more than three times as fast as coal between March and July. India, Vietnam and South Korea went the other way, burning more coal. Some European countries also saw extra coal burn, but the IEA expects EU coal generation to resume its decade-long decline in 2026.

Last month, the Vietnamese government said it was considering building more coal plants to secure supply — despite pledging at the 2021 U.N. climate summit to build no new coal after 2030.

TRANSPORT

Most of the world’s oil is burned as transport fuel — in cars, trucks, ships and planes. The war has not collapsed that demand, but it has reversed the growth forecasters had pencilled in.

Higher prices, reduced air travel, softer Chinese consumption and faster EV adoption mean the world is now likely using less oil for transport than projected before the war. Goldman Sachs estimates gasoline-related demand fell about 20% at the April peak of the disruption; GL Consulting puts the drop nearer 15%.

Costlier fuel has pushed drivers toward EVs, and China — the world’s biggest maker — has seen its EV export value top $10 billion for the first time this year.

Electric models made up 63% of the country’s passenger-car retail sales in June, up from 53% a year earlier, according to BofA analysts, who estimate electrification explains roughly a third of China’s year-to-date decline in crude imports.

EV sales have also soared across Europe since the war began as high oil prices have caused pain at the pump.

HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?

As long as Hormuz stays shut, high oil and gas prices are likely to persist, strengthening the case for countries to invest in cheaper, home-grown renewables and reduce their exposure to volatile fuel costs. But whether a shift away from oil and gas gathers even more momentum is difficult to predict.

“Changing a nation’s energy mix requires investments, and higher interest rates will make the considerable upfront capital required for renewables and power grids more expensive. Thus, while the present conflict is likely to ultimately favour decarbonization, it is not a one-way street,” said Sverre Alvik, vice president and energy transition outlook director at DNV.

Many large Asian markets have substantial gas and coal resources to provide a buffer against Middle East supply disruptions and a lot more U.S. LNG supply is expected to come online between 2026 and 2030.

“As this supply materialises, LNG should become more affordable for import-dependent Asian markets, reducing the incentive for a permanent shift away from gas driven solely by the current conflict,” said Victor del Carpio Neyra, senior research associate at Aurora Energy Research.

 

(Reporting by Kate Abnett in Brussels, Nina Chestney in London and Sudarshan Varadhan in Singapore; Editing by Conor Humphries)

 

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A New Energy Era: Full Renewable Energy Supply

A New Energy Era: Full Renewable Energy Supply

Combine harvester in wheat field with wind turbines, showcasing renewable energy and agriculture. by Anton Klyuchnikov via Pexels

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A new energy era: full renewable energy supply is possible

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Solar power, battery storage and digital energy technologies are converging into an integrated energy system that could deliver reliable renewable electricity around the clock, writes The smarter E Europe

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Suddenly, everything happened very quickly: while solar power expanded only gradually in the early years of its commercial deployment, it has since become the world’s leading source of electricity generation. The rise of renewable energies is linked to a broader systemic shift that is driving and accelerating the growth of other cleantech sectors, most notably battery storage, electromobility and heat pumps. Flexibility has also emerged as a key priority and can serve as a balancing factor for the variability of renewables. The electrification of all sectors is widely considered a fundamental prerequisite for an efficient, cost-effective and resilient energy system.

At the recent The smarter E Europe 2026, Europe’s largest alliance of exhibitions for the energy industry, 2,650 exhibitors offered around 105,000 visitors a glimpse into the components that can help make an integrated energy system successful. The Renewables 24/7 special exhibit, organised by Solar Promotion GmbH and Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG, demonstrated how a round-the-clock renewable energy supply can work.

Delegates attend a presentation at the Renewables 24/7 special exhibit, exploring how flexibility, storage and smart energy management can support a fully renewable electricity system. Credit: Solar Promotion GmbH

Photovoltaics and battery storage: from niche to industry standard

According to Jaran Rystad, founder and CEO of the research and consulting firm Rystad Energy, speaking at The smarter E Europe, forecasts for photovoltaic expansion have consistently underestimated the pace of deployment, including those produced by his own company, although they were often regarded as overly optimistic when they were published. According to SolarPower Europe’s Global Market Outlook for Solar Power 2026–2030, a record 664 gigawatts (GW) of new photovoltaic capacity were installed worldwide in 2025, bringing global installed solar capacity above the three terawatt (TW) mark for the first time. The milestone carries symbolic significance: In 2025, solar power produced more electricity worldwide than wind power for the first time, becoming the largest single driver of global growth in energy generation, ahead of natural gas, oil and coal.

An energy management platform on display at The smarter E Europe 2026, illustrating how digital systems are being used to integrate solar power, battery storage and flexible electricity demand. Credit: Solar Promotion GmbH

China remained the world’s largest solar market, adding 382 GW of new capacity, equivalent to 57 per cent of global installations, although policy changes are expected to result in a temporary slowdown in 2026. Europe continued to be on course for growth: In 2025, the EU-27 once again installed more solar capacity than in the previous year, reaching approximately 67 GW. Solar power has become firmly established as a cornerstone of Europe’s electricity supply. In June 2025, photovoltaics temporarily covered more than 22 per cent of total electricity demand across the EU.

Europe’s battery storage market is expanding just as rapidly. SolarPower Europe’s European Battery Market Outlook 2026–2030 reports that 36 gigawatt hours (GWh) of new storage capacity were installed in 2025, a 48 per cent increase over the previous year, bringing Europe’s total installed storage capacity above 100 GWh for the first time. Utility-scale storage accounted for more than half of all new installations, also a first. This growth has been driven in no small part by the sharp decline in battery costs: Production costs for lithium-ion battery cells have fallen by around 85 per cent since 2010. By 2030, annual installations are expected to reach 138 GWh, almost four times the 2025 level. “We are entering the battery age,” said Markus Elsässer, CEO of Solar Promotion GmbH, at The smarter E Europe.

Together, these trends – driven by rapidly expanding solar output and growing storage capacity – are laying the foundation for a round-the-clock renewable energy supply. This vision was at the heart of the Renewables 24/7 special exhibit at the recent The smarter E Europe.

Economically viable, technically feasible: 24/7 renewable energy

Too expensive. Too unreliable. Technically impossible. These are among the most common misconceptions surrounding a fully renewable energy supply. The Renewables 24/7 special exhibit at The smarter E Europe 2026 addressed these misconceptions. The exhibit was based on the study Cost-Optimal Transformation of the German Energy System by 2045, prepared by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. Both the study and the special exhibit demonstrate how an industrialised country such as Germany can achieve a completely climate-neutral energy system powered entirely by renewable energy in a way that is technically feasible, economically viable and socially manageable.

Visitors pass an exhibition highlighting the combination of solar generation and battery storage, technologies increasingly seen as central to round-the-clock renewable electricity. Credit: Solar Promotion GmbH

Through exhibits, expert presentations and practical examples, the special exhibit presented evidence challenging the assumption that extended periods of low wind and limited sunshine, often referred to as ‘dark doldrums’, represent an obstacle to a renewable energy system. Dr. Charlotte Senkspiel, one of the study’s lead authors at Fraunhofer ISE, explained: “The ‘dark doldrums’ account for only about one per cent of the year. Yes, we still need 100 gigawatts of dispatchable power generation for these periods, and seasonal hydrogen storage is the key to operating it.” The models used in the study and their visualisation at the special exhibit were based on the considerable expansion of storage capacity and increasing utilisation of flexibility. Examples include peak shaving in industry and commerce, demand-side flexibility across all consumption sectors and bidirectional charging of electric vehicles.

At Renewables 24/7, visitors saw to great effect how the individual technologies and applications underpinning the energy transition can efficiently work together as an integrated system. “Solar power, energy storage, e-mobility, power grids and digitalisation are not developing independently. They are converging into an integrated energy system,” said Markus Elsässer at the opening of the special exhibit.

A strong alliance of associations and industry backing the special exhibit

A broad coalition of leading industry associations supported the initiative. Supporters included the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE), the German Association of Energy Market Innovators (bne), the German Solar Association (BSW-Solar), the German Solar Energy Society (DGS), the German Hydrogen Association (DWV), the Biogas Trade Association, VDMA (German Engineering Federation) Photovoltaics Equipment and VDMA Power Systems. It was also internationally backed by E-Mobility Europe, Energy Storage Europe (ESE), Smart Energy Europe (smartEn) and SolarPower Europe.

A utility-scale battery storage system exhibited at The smarter E Europe 2026, reflecting the rapid expansion of energy storage alongside solar power. Credit: Solar Promotion GmbH

Leading technology solution partners contributed to the special exhibit, presenting technical and commercial solutions. These included CATL, Energy3000, Fenecon, FoxESS, GE Vernova, Maxsolar, Octopus Energy and Siemens AG. Together, they showcased the technologies and solutions that can enable a fully renewable, round-the-clock energy supply.

Next steps: the solutions are here; policy must follow

The smarter E Europe 2026 and its Renewables 24/7 special exhibit demonstrated that the industry is already providing many of the technologies and products needed for a resilient, climate-neutral and cost-effective energy system. What is needed now is appropriate incentives from policymakers and institutions, as well as a consistent commitment to change. This is essential to address bottlenecks such as insufficient grid capacity and regulations that do not yet adequately support an integrated energy system.

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Soon, there will be so much electricity from renewables

Soon, there will be so much electricity from renewables

Aerial view of solar panels in a vast solar farm under bright sunlight. by K via Pexels

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Soon, there will be so much electricity you might be paid to use it

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By Amin Al-Habaibeh, Nottingham Trent University

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Imagine a perfect summer weekend day: a cloudless blue sky with a gentle breeze. Solar panels are at full capacity, wind turbines are turning offshore – and many people are out and about, in gardens or parks. Electricity supply is high, but demand is low.

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Simon Collins / shutterstock

 

 

Electricity systems must balance supply and demand in real time. In the above scenario, when renewables are producing lots of electricity but there isn’t much demand, energy companies may need to curtail output – disconnecting their turbines or panels from the grid, and essentially wasting clean energy that could have been generated. Hours later, when demand rises, that energy is no longer available.

In the UK, wind farms are already being paid to switch off on days when supply outstrips demand. Similar curtailment of renewable generation already happens regularly in places with lots of solar power such as California, Spain or Australia. As renewable energy continues to grow – and in the UK’s case, as cheap plug-in solar panels become available – this could happen a lot more often.

For example, April 22 2026 was a sunny day in the UK, with moderate wind. Solar generation reduced the demand for gas-generated electricity to almost zero. Had the wind speed been any higher, there could have been more electricity generation than demand.

The limits of supply and storage

One option would be to control the supply to try and match demand. When electricity mostly came from fossil fuels, this was easy enough – power plants would just burn less coal or gas. But you can’t control the weather, and you certainly can’t keep sunlight in a pile of fuel to use later. The electricity it generates is either used, stored or lost.

Another option would be to simply store that excess electricity until it’s needed. There are lots of approaches available, ranging from huge battery banks to pumped-storage hydro schemes that store energy by pumping water uphill before generating electricity when needed. Millions of electric car batteries could even become part of the grid.

But all these technologies remain expensive and limited in capacity. Not all surplus power can be saved for later.

Without other solutions, this mismatch can increase reliance on fossil fuels at times of high demand. The UK’s National Energy System Operator (Neso) recently warned it will need to use “more tools, more often” to keep the grid stable.

A simpler solution

A third option is to shift when people use electricity.

The use of renewable energy has made balancing the grid depend not just on supply – weather conditions – but on user behaviour. If people consume electricity when renewable energy is available, there would be less need for other sources of energy or for big investments in energy storage. That’s why shifting electricity demand is one of the simplest and cheapest ways to balance the grid.

Smart meters are already able to vary electricity prices throughout the day. In our summer weekend scenario, when electricity is cheap and plentiful but demand is minimal, a smart meter might advise you that prices have gone right down – or even turned negative – creating an incentive to heat water, wash clothes or charge electric cars. In effect, households would be paid to absorb excess renewable energy.

This would encourage people to install smart meters and change when they use electricity. It should be particularly useful for low-income households. And at the national level such payments can be cheaper overall than investments in energy storage or curtailing wind or solar farms and unleashing them later.

Paying people to use electricity may sound odd, but it represents the cost of keeping the system balanced.The Conversation

Amin Al-Habaibeh, Professor of Intelligent Engineering Systems, Nottingham Trent University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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