November 6, 2025
Sun’s out, bills out
Australia has so much solar that it's offering everyone free electricity
Australia’s midday free power sparks ‘not really free’ debate, China credit, and cable memes
TLDR: Australia wants to make midday electricity free to use the solar surge. Commenters are split: some cheer the smart shift and credit China’s cheap panels, others say “free” during negative prices is marketing. The idea matters because it could cut bills and pollution while inspiring copycats worldwide.
Australia just teased a wild idea: free electricity at midday for everyone on the grid. The comments immediately split into teams. One side says it’s genius—use the sun’s peak to run laundry, charge cars, and chill your house for zero dollars. The other side rolls their eyes, calling it “free” only because wholesale prices go negative when there’s more power than people need. As one cynic put it, this is just the grid “selling at a profit” during the cheap hours.
There’s global flavor too: a surprising chorus shouted out China for mass-producing cheap solar panels, basically saying “you’re welcome, world.” Others asked why this isn’t happening in places like California, where daytime prices also sometimes dive below zero. Cue the jokes: one commenter imagined the US laying a giant undersea extension cord to Australia, then remembered physics and laughed at the voltage drop.
Underneath the drama, the plan nudges people to shift use to sunny hours—an everyday version of time-of-use pricing. Fans say it’s a clever way to soak up surplus solar and cut pollution. Skeptics say free is a marketing spin. Either way, the midday power happy hour has become the internet’s new solar soap opera.
Key Points
- •Australia is proposing free electricity for consumers during midday to leverage high solar generation.
- •High solar penetration creates daytime surpluses and frequent negative wholesale electricity prices.
- •Demand peaks in the evening, while solar generation peaks midday, causing price and supply swings.
- •Mitigation strategies include batteries, wind power, and time-of-use pricing to shift flexible loads.
- •The proposal would pass the benefits of negative wholesale rates to all ratepayers during daylight hours.