curtailment
/kəːˈteɪlm(ə)nt/ noun- The deliberate reduction of output from a wind or solar plant.
- Clean energy made and then thrown away.
17 June 2026 · Copenhagen · 1 minute
On a windy night with little demand, a wind farm can produce more than the grid can carry away. The operator is then paid, or told, to turn the turbines out of the wind. The energy that would have been made is simply not made.
1
How much
| Country | Wind and solar curtailed | Share of their output | Main cause | Paid to curtail | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 10 TWh | 3.5% | North–south transmission | Yes | Rising |
| UK | 4 TWh | 4.9% | Scotland to England links | Yes | Rising |
| Netherlands | 1 TWh | 1.8% | Local congestion | Partly | Rising |
| Denmark | 0.5 TWh | 1.2% | Interconnector limits | Yes | Flat |
| Spain | 2 TWh | 1.9% | Midday solar surplus | No | Rising fast |
2
A battery on wheels
A parked car is a small, patient load. If it could charge exactly when a turbine would otherwise be turned down, the cheapest kilowatt-hour on the grid would go into a battery that wanted it anyway.
That needs three things to meet: a signal from the grid, a car that is plugged in, and a driver who has said, once, I need it by seven. The rest is scheduling. See demand.