1/ On #EarthDay2020 https://abs.twimg.com/hashflags... draggable="false" alt=""> some incredibly hopeful, climate-saving, and downright weird things are happening in energy https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⚡️" title="High voltage sign" aria-label="Emoji: High voltage sign">

Yesterday, ~half of the UK’s power came from renewables. This week, for the first time ever, the barrel price of oil crashed below zero. What& #39;s going on?

THREAD https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇" title="Down pointing backhand index" aria-label="Emoji: Down pointing backhand index">

2/ Even though we’re at home, the Coronavirus outbreak has seen a decrease in national energy demand https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📉" title="Chart with downwards trend" aria-label="Emoji: Chart with downwards trend">

In the UK, factories, schools and businesses have come to a standstill, cutting national demand by around ~17%. (Credit: @ChetJPatel @ICISOfficial)

3/ Unseasonably windy and sunny April weather has meant that at certain times over the past few days, solar and wind power alone was MORE than enough to cover the UK’s energy demand https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🌞" title="Sun with face" aria-label="Emoji: Sun with face">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🍃" title="Leaf fluttering in wind" aria-label="Emoji: Leaf fluttering in wind">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⚖️" title="Scales" aria-label="Emoji: Scales">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🏘️" title="House buildings" aria-label="Emoji: House buildings">

4/ Low demand https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="➕" title="Heavy plus sign" aria-label="Emoji: Heavy plus sign"> more green energy means:
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="1⃣" title="Keycap digit one" aria-label="Emoji: Keycap digit one"> The market price of power is falling
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="2⃣" title="Keycap digit two" aria-label="Emoji: Keycap digit two"> Green, intermittent power sources like solar/wind consistently make up an bigger share of the UK’s supply (Credit: @KateRoseMorley @ http://grid.iamkate.com/ )">https://grid.iamkate.com/">...

5/ This #EarthDay https://abs.twimg.com/hashflags... draggable="false" alt="">, our strange new world shows both how necessary, and how viable, a green energy system is.

Every year, more and more of the UK’s power comes from intermittent sources (i.e. they& #39;re only available when the sun shines, or the wind blows). https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/wind-power-coal-climate-change-renewable-energy-a9273541.html">https://www.independent.co.uk/news/scie...

6/ These sources are green and renewable: brilliant. BUT, they aren’t & #39;consistent& #39; (and able to be & #39;turned up/down& #39; at will) like traditional fossil fuels, making grid balancing tricky.
The industry is racing to address this challenge with storage. But that alone won’t cut it.

7/ We need to totally rethink how we use energy, with consumers leading the charge. Enter #agileOctopus https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧠" title="Brain" aria-label="Emoji: Brain">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⚡️" title="High voltage sign" aria-label="Emoji: High voltage sign">
In the run-up to #EarthDay2020 https://abs.twimg.com/hashflags... draggable="false" alt="">, thousands of customers on our Agile tariff have been paid for the energy they use throughout the day https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💸" title="Money with wings" aria-label="Emoji: Money with wings"> https://octopus.energy/blog/social-distancing-renewable-energy-negative-pricing/">https://octopus.energy/blog/soci...

8/ How does it work?
When demand is low, and the grid’s green sun/wind power could go to waste, low (or negative) #Agile prices encourage people to shift energy use to the greenest times https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🌞" title="Sun with face" aria-label="Emoji: Sun with face">, so they’re using less in the busiest (and dirtiest) times https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🌆" title="Cityscape at dusk" aria-label="Emoji: Cityscape at dusk"> E.g https://twitter.com/cleevelyev/status/1246713976999772167?s=20">https://twitter.com/cleevelye...

9/ #agileOctopus is a blueprint for adapting to a low-carbon grid, a way forward from the current system where fossil fuel generators fire up based on demand.

Instead, people are empowered to make smart choices to use green power when it& #39;s abundant https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💡" title="Electric light bulb" aria-label="Emoji: Electric light bulb"> https://twitter.com/DBBurt/status/1203636331924115456?s=20">https://twitter.com/DBBurt/st...

10/ For a low-carbon grid, load shifting must go further, with #smarthomes that power up automatically when the sun shines https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🌞" title="Sun with face" aria-label="Emoji: Sun with face">

But for some #Agile customers, that future is now.

On #EarthDay2020 https://abs.twimg.com/hashflags... draggable="false" alt="">, in unprecedented and scary times, smart green energy is one thing giving us hope https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💚" title="Green heart" aria-label="Emoji: Green heart">