Use the price that applies to the customer
A negative wholesale price does not automatically make the complete customer tariff negative. First configure the contract and relevant charges. In local cost optimisation, a negative export price calls for reducing production toward local consumption, rather than paying to inject surplus. A negative import price can call for stopping PV production. These are different situations; explain them using the customer's configured prices.
Combine economics with the connection limit
Curtailment also has a technical role when solar output would exceed the permitted grid export. Check the inverter's controllable interface, the grid measurement and the configured export limit. Consider household demand, battery behaviour and flexible loads together when reviewing the result. A curtailed production graph alone does not tell the whole story: the relevant question is what crossed the meter and why that was appropriate for the selected strategy.
Understand the external service
A supplier or aggregator may provide its own curtailment signal through a supported integration. Availability, onboarding, signal priority and fallback differ by service. Choose the precise provider service: device coverage and imbalance-market access are part of the project's agreed technical and commercial setup. Confirm the agreement and exact device support, then test the provider's documented setup. Discuss how that external control interacts with the home's local battery and consumption plan.
A sunny afternoon with an unfavourable export price
The home is consuming power while solar output is higher. If the configured export price is negative, local cost optimisation can reduce supported PV output toward the home's demand. The installer shows the customer the export price, grid exchange and inverter output over the same period. If only the wholesale price is negative, check the complete tariff before drawing the same conclusion.
Before you activate
- Verify inverter control and grid-meter readings.
- Configure customer import and export prices.
- Set permitted export power and local control mode.
- For external services, validate agreement, priority and fallback.
Technical documentation
Ready to configure this feature? Find the precise settings, supported connections and installation instructions in our documentation.