The most common misconception about curtailment is that it’s only about damage control. In reality, when approached with the right tools and setup, curtailment becomes a core part of value control: an active, end-to-end strategy to maximize returns across multiple markets.

Let’s break down the difference.

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Damage Control: Reacting to what’s already settled

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In a damage control mindset, curtailment is used only when prices go negative and the financial pain becomes ubiquitous. This usually happens:

• Late in the process: once day-ahead prices are already settled
• Without coordination: supplier is not in the loop
• Without foresight: based on simple rules (e.g., if price < X, shut down)
• Without control over nominations, creating an upstream imbalance risk

It’s a reactive approach that attempts to limit losses. It often introduces operational risk, supplier frustration, or even new costs through imbalance charges.

In short, it’s just defensive.

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Value Control: Managing the full chain proactively

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Value control turns curtailment into a strategic lever.

Rather than reacting to prices, companies forecast, simulate and nominate assets with the goal of maximizing value before prices are locked in.

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This means:

• Smart forecasting of price trends and flexibility needs across day-ahead, intraday, and imbalance markets
• Optimized nominations that reflect what’s economically and operationally optimal, not just what’s technically possible
• Real-time steering during delivery
• End-to-end coordination between energy contracts, software, and asset connectivity

The key difference is perspective: instead of zooming in on one painful moment, value control looks at the entire operational window from pre-nomination to post-delivery.

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The cost of stopping at “Damage Control”

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Many companies believe they’re already “managing curtailment” because they have some basic logic in place to shut off solar when day-ahead prices are lower than 0 €/MWh. But this is just scratching the surface.

Without:

• A supplier that allows flexible nominations
• A forecasting and optimization layer
• A connected local control system

…you’re left patching holes instead of capturing value.

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Damage control may avoid worst-case losses, but value control generates upside. That’s a fundamentally different role for curtailment to play in your operations.

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Observe the difference yourself, with Companion.energy's "BE Solar FlexScore"

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From pain avoidance to profit alignment

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When curtailment is driven by value control:

• You prevent bad outcomes before they happen
• You coordinate across all relevant markets (not just day-ahead)
• You make curtailment decisions that benefit you, not just your supplier
• You ensure your incentives are aligned with those steering your asset

As Elias Vandeputte, Flexibility Manager at BEE said in our webinar:

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“We don’t steer the supplier’s portfolio — we steer at EAN level for the customer. That’s the only way to align incentives and generate real value.”

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This mindset shift is what separates reactive players from strategic ones.

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Value-driven curtailment unlocking new revenue, +30€/MWh in April '25

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When you take the value control approach, you don’t just react to market signals. You forecast them, nominate accordingly, and steer in real time to align with economic opportunities.

A clear example of this is the BEE Hive model, where Companion.energy acts as the forecaster and optimizer.

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In April 2025, our forecasting and steering decisions enabled participating sites to earn more than €30/MWh in imbalance income, visible directly on their invoice. That’s not a hidden benefit; it's transparent, measurable financial impact.

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This is the power of value control: turning curtailment into a lever for profitability, not a footnote in crisis management.