British factories may operate at night to utilize spare wind power

U.K.'s National Grid is considering asking commercial businesses and factories to run at night in order to utilize spare electricity generated by wind farms.

The National Grid found that at night the demand for power is low, but the wind still blows, generating electricity that isn't used.

They may incentivize companies that shift their operating hours, which would be cheaper than the millions of pounds, called constraint payments, currently paid to switch wind turbines off.

Wind farm operators were paid £7.6 million in constraint payments from 2012 to 2013, and those payments rose to £27.9m so far for 2013 to 2014.

A lot of wind energy is generated in Scotland and transmitted to England using cables. But there is insufficient infrastructure to transmit all the electricity, which gets compounded at night when demand is at its lowest.

"As system operator, we want to make sure we operate the grid as efficiently and economically as possible. If there is a possibility to reduce those costs, and make the best use of wind on the system, then we will," said a spokesperson for the National Grid.

The spokesperson added, "This service is about looking at where energy, that would otherwise be constrained, could be consumed by businesses who have shifted their demand to a different time of day."

[The Telegraph]