Welcome to the 21st century, where you can only turn on the lights when the sun’s up, apparently. Britain’s biggest energy supplier asked its customers to hold off on using electricity during yesterday’s solar eclipse, and even offered free power as a reward. Octopus Energy urged households to avoid running washing machines, dishwashers, and other appliances between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., when the moon would block up to 95-percent of the sun over parts of the country.
The timing mattered because the eclipse hit right as solar power output dropped and evening demand climbed, with millions of people getting home from work. The slump could have knocked out enough electricity to power about half a million homes, forcing gas power stations to make up the gap. To encourage people to cut back, Octopus offered eligible customers who used less than usual an hour of free electricity the following Sunday. The company said household flexibility is one of Britain’s biggest untapped energy resources.
Source: Independent
