Why Market-based Curtailment Is the Hidden Asset in Your Solar Strategy
Are you sure you are not wasting €100 000 per year on your energy budget?
For companies with an annual energy spend of around €2 million, commodity and non-commodity combined, savings are often hiding in plain sight.
In practice, organisations achieve an average saving of 8% on the commodity part of their energy budget. Not through luck or market timing, but through structure.
Those savings typically come from three levers:
- Contract tendering
- Click strategy
- Invoice control
Yet one lever is underestimated.
Clicks without a strategy feel active, but reduce control.
Most click decisions happen reactively.
Prices rise. Budgets come under pressure. A click is made.
It feels like active management.
In reality, there is no predefined decision framework.
Each click becomes a one-off decision.
Uncertainty increases. Budget control decreases.
Depending on market conditions and risk profile, power and gas click moments makes up to a 20% difference in the commodity price.
“The misunderstanding about click strategy is that it’s a choice between fully fixed or fully floating. The real value lies in between. By aligning click moments with budget targets and risk appetite, you build a unit price that leaves room to benefit from market evolutions.”
Volatility is not the enemy. Disorganization is.
Looking at historical forward prices, the same pattern repeats itself every year.
Within a single delivery year, electricity and gas prices often fluctuate by tens of percent.
This means the exact same volume can be fixed at very different prices within the same year.
- Companies that fix everything at once depend entirely on timing.
- Companies that spread decisions build their price step by step and end up closer to the market average.
- Organisations that take those decisions within a predefined framework consistently perform better than the average.
Not by predicting the market.
But by organising decisions.
A click strategy starts from your organisation.
A well-designed click strategy answers critical questions:
- How sensitive is your budget to price fluctuations?
- What level of risk is acceptable?
- Which volumes must be secured, and which can fluctuate?
- Over what time horizon are decisions spread?
These answers translate into a clear framework with predefined click moments, bandwidths and rules.
Without structure, volatility controls you.
With structure, volatility becomes a tool.
Imbalance costs, and market volatility are turning fixed PV production into a liability. Market-based PV curtailment helps protect margins and generates up to 30.000 per MW in value.
Market-based PV Curtailment generates up to €30,000 per MW.
Imbalance costs and market volatility are transforming fixed solar production from an asset into a financial risk. Market-based PV curtailment provides operators with a strategic lever to protect margins, optimize revenues, and unlock additional system value — turning flexibility into measurable profit.
As more industrial sites install PV systems, the number of negative-price hours on the electricity market continues to rise. In 2024, Belgium reached a record high. In 2025, the trend accelerates even faster.
For sites with dynamic contracts, the financial impact is significant. Many installations now face long stretches where PV injection generates no income or even results in a net cost. This is due not only to negative prices but also to imbalance penalties when actual production deviates from forecasts.
‘We used to optimise for solar production. Now, we optimise for value. That means knowing when not to inject.’ Laurenz Peleman, Energy Partner
Analysis showed that curtailing PV at the right moments could preserve up to €30,000 per MWp in value. That figure is based on 2023 with less extreme volatility than 2024. The approach involves using a gateway device that receives real-time market signals and adjusts PV injection accordingly. In practice, this can mean partial or full curtailment, depending on market conditions.
Imbalance costs, and market volatility are turning fixed PV production into a liability. Market-based PV curtailment helps protect margins and generates up to 30.000 per MW in value.
Market-based PV Curtailment generates up to €30,000 per MW.
Imbalance costs and market volatility are transforming fixed solar production from an asset into a financial risk. Market-based PV curtailment provides operators with a strategic lever to protect margins, optimize revenues, and unlock additional system value — turning flexibility into measurable profit.
As more industrial sites install PV systems, the number of negative-price hours on the electricity market continues to rise. In 2024, Belgium reached a record high. In 2025, the trend accelerates even faster.
For sites with dynamic contracts, the financial impact is significant. Many installations now face long stretches where PV injection generates no income or even results in a net cost. This is due not only to negative prices but also to imbalance penalties when actual production deviates from forecasts.
‘We used to optimise for solar production. Now, we optimise for value. That means knowing when not to inject.’ Laurenz Peleman, Energy Partner
Analysis showed that curtailing PV at the right moments could preserve up to €30,000 per MWp in value. That figure is based on 2023 with less extreme volatility than 2024. The approach involves using a gateway device that receives real-time market signals and adjusts PV injection accordingly. In practice, this can mean partial or full curtailment, depending on market conditions.

The curtailment typically works through the inverter (Sunspec protocol) combined with a Gateway. It reduces injection to match on-site consumption or respond to market triggers, such as negative prices or high imbalance costs. The aim is not to switch off renewables entirely, but to steer them more intelligently.
Even in cases where the PV system is owned by a third party, curtailment can be explored. Adjustments in contracts or shared incentives are possible.
Curtailment is also compatible with broader energy flexibility strategies. It does not limit future integration of batteries, electrified heat, or other assets. Instead, it operates as a first step that aligns with more advanced forms of flexibility.
Why this matters for energy-intensive sites?
Market-based curtailment can unlock up to €30,000 per MWp per year, with limit hardware impact. Want to know the value potential for your site? Contact your Energy Manager today.
