Germany Had So Much Renewable Energy It Had to Pay Customers to Use It

Renewable energy generation hit a high in Germany Sunday, with commercial power consumers being paid to use electricity for a few hours.

Around midday the country’s wind, solar, hydro and biomass plants were supplying 87% of the power being consumed in Germany, according to a report by Quartz.

Germany’s renewable energy mix was 33% last year and is expected to climb this year due to new wind power generation, as the country looks to convert to 100% renewable energy by 2050.

The power surplus may have been good for consumers, but power suppliers suffered, according to Quartz. While some gas power plants were taken offline, other plants—such as nuclear and coal—couldn’t shut down as quickly, so industrial customers were earning money as they used electricity.

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