Energy billpayers have spent £1billion this year to shut down windfarms and source more expensive power from gas plants and abroad due to grid deficiencies.
When wind turbines work too well, they can produce so much electricity that it can overload the grid.
When this happens, Britain's electricity operator has to order windfarms to be switched off and pay compensation to firms for loss of income, all while obtaining power to run the country from other, more expensive sources.
The Times reports billpayers have this year spent a staggering £1billion to switch off windfarms.
In a single day, the electricity operator paid windfarms £1.3million in compensation for lost revenue, while paying £4.9million to buy energy from abroad and switch on gas power plants.
Analysis on the Wasted Wind website, which is supported by Octopus, said the lost energy from shutdown windfarms would have been enough to power the entirety of London for a full day.
The issue stems from the UK's outdated electricity grid network, which cannot cope with the volute of power generated at times of high wind.
It means many windfarms are unable to operate to their full potential as the cabling network does not have the capacity to transport the power to urban areas where it's needed.
The £1billion cost of this so far this year is a new record, compared to £734million at the same point in 2024, and equates to £34 per household.