> Now if only the UK didn't have an insane system where all electricity is purchased at the highest cost in the mix.

That isn’t a “system”. It’s just what happens. Why would the 99% RE be forced to sell at a lower price? They will sell at whatever the market value is. Which is determined by supply and demand. And the gas turbines will only turn on if it becomes profitable for them to turn on at that price. So the causality actually is the other way around. Lots of demand increases electricity prices, higher electricity prices make it profitable for more expensive means of production to be powered up.

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KptMarchewa 4 hours ago | parent [-]

That's why "market" isn't a good approach for electricity.

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_fizz_buzz_ 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

It is exactly why the market is the best approach for electricity. Everyone is incentivized to produce electricity as cheap as they can. Otherwise it doesn’t pay off to produce cheaper because one gets punished by having to sell for less anyway.

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mr_00ff00 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Can you give an example of a better method?

The one that I can think of is the government sets the amount of electricity produced, and then it’s rationed. But I doubt the UK would be happy with rationed electricity where your power shuts off the second it’s over. That would be essentially mandatory blackouts all the time.

Not to mention the cost would be held by the government, so you end up paying it in taxes anyway.

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hkt 3 hours ago | parent [-]

Rationed electricity might also come in the form of a universal basic entitlement, followed by market price for higher usage. One assumes under such a system that the state would own and operate energy production and that they would, for instance, increase the ration over time, leaving the remaining needed capacity to be fulfilled by the market.

Honestly, pricing based on the cost of financing and operation isn't a terrible idea.

	▲	mr_00ff00 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Sure much you will end up with more energy consumed. If it’s a free ration, almost everyone will consume all that they are given up to the limit. Under the current system, when energy becomes hard to produce or more people need it, rising prices means people will reduce. So pricing for cost of financing, sure, but it might be a higher cost because people will consume more.