Dutch utilities Eneco and Delta Energie will test lower electricity tariffs for consumers – regardless of PV system ownership – who shift consumption to periods of peak solar generation. The pilot aims to encourage flexible demand during midday hours.
Dutch power utilities Eneco and Delta Energie said they will offer lower electricity tariffs to consumers – regardless of whether they own PV systems – who shift their consumption during peak solar generation hours.
The offer applies only to the Zeeland region and specific hours of the day. Eligible customers will receive “free” electricity – paying only taxes – up to a capped amount ranging from 2.5 kWh to 15 kWh per hour. Estimated savings range from a few euros to several dozen euros over the trial period.
The test will run from May 1 to July 31 and include 20 test windows lasting between one and five hours each. Consumers must activate the HappyPower offer via a dedicated app to participate.
The pilot expands on an earlier trial by Dutch grid operator Stedin and Eneco, which asked solar panel owners in Zeeland to switch off their systems during select periods. The new program includes a broader user base, such as households without solar panels and those with or without electric vehicles and home charging stations.
“By shifting the electricity consumption, supply and demand can be better balanced locally and help prevent grid congestion,” Eneco said in a statement. “The trial will run in the municipalities of Schouwen-Duiveland, Tholen and Veere.”
The company noted that households with solar panels can help ease grid congestion by consuming self-generated electricity during periods of high demand.
“In addition, with the planned closing of the net-metering scheme, self-generated solar power will soon also be the cheapest power they can have,” said Eneco.