Dutch grid operator to pay households to switch off solar panels

Several households in the Netherlands are set to receive a letter from Enexis in the coming days. The grid operator is requesting permission to temporarily switch off residents’ solar panels during sunny periods to prevent overloading the power grid. Households that agree will receive compensation.

Enexis to dim solar panels to prevent overloading power grid

Grid operator Enexis is sending out letters to around 55.000 households in its service area, inviting residents to voluntarily register their solar panel systems with the company Zonnedimmer. Enexis handles the distribution of energy for the Dutch provinces of Groningen, Drenthe, Overijssel, North Brabant and Limburg.

Through Zonnedimmer, Enexis will be able to temporarily switch a household’s solar panels on and off or cap electricity generation. During sunny periods, the power grid runs the risk of being overloaded - reducing how much power is generated by home solar panels could help limit any peaks.

When a household’s solar panels are “dimmed”, they will miss out on any power generated during that period. Therefore, they will be compensated 25 cents for every ungenerated kilowatt-hour (kWh). This means that someone with 10 solar panels, which are dimmed for two hours, will receive between 1 and 2 euros, according to NU.nl.

Switching off solar panels as a backup measure

Zonnedimmer manages power production through solar panel inverters, which convert the generated electricity into a suitable form for use or for feeding back into the grid. This method is better for the inverter's warranty and lifespan than having a resident manually turn their solar panels off and on.

Enexis doesn’t plan on using this measure too often though, relying rather on other methods of managing grid congestion. "Reinforcing the grid remains the most financially favourable solution for grid congestion problems for us," Thijs Derksen from Enexis told NU.nl. "We will continue to focus fully on that. But you cannot expand the network indefinitely for peaks that only occur at a limited number of times."

Residents can also help reduce strain on the power grid by using the power generated by their solar panels as much as possible during sunny periods, by doing laundry, running the dishwasher or charging an electric car, for example. 

It is important to note that giving Zonnedimmer permission to control your solar panels is voluntary and can be withdrawn if you change your mind later. "We hope that more parties will soon come forward that can offer this," said Derksen. "There is a lot of untapped potential in households to reduce grid congestion problems."