Germans got A nice Present for the recent Holidays. Free electricity.

Germany paid people to use electricity over the holidays because its grid is so clean

Electricity prices dipped below zero on Christmas in Germany. That means consumers were essentially paid to use electricity. This situation arises because Germany's renewable energy plants - primarily wind and solar - are very efficient at generating power, but can't yet match supply with demand.

From article, (People in Germany essentially got paid to use electricity on Christmas.

Electricity prices in the country went negative for many customers — as in, below zero — on Sunday and Monday, because the country's supply of clean, renewable power actually outstripped demand, according to The New York Times.

The phenomenon is less rare than you may think.

Germany has invested over $200 billion in renewable power over the last few decades, primarily wind and solar. During times when electricity demand is low — such as weekends when major factories are closed, or when the weather is unseasonably sunny — the country's power plants pump more electricity into the grid than consumers actually need.

The disparity arises because wind and solar power are generally inconsistent. When the weather is windy or sunny, the plants generate a lot of electricity, but all that excess power is difficult to store. Battery technology is not quite advanced enough to fully moderate the supply to the grid.

It's important to note that Germany's utilities companies aren't depositing money directly into consumer's accounts when this happens. Rather, the periods of negative-pricing lead to lower electricity bills over the course of a year.

These irregularities need to get figured out sooner rather than later, since renewable energy is growing rapidly, driven by the declining cost of technology and government subsidies. The International Energy Agency predicts that renewable energy will comprise 40% of global power generation by 2040. In the next five years, the share of electricity generated by renewables worldwide is set to grow faster than any other source.)

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