Household electricity bills remain high, yet on the wholesale market some operators can even be paid to consume energy. This is one of the paradoxes created by the growth of renewables: sun and wind produce when they can, not when the grid needs them, and in moments of oversupply prices can even turn negative.
This is why huge batteries, BESS (Battery Energy Storage Systems) are needed, able to absorb surplus energy and feed it back into the grid later. Their role is so strategic that it has triggered a genuine gold rush, with Italy in a leading position.
