Solar PV rises across major European markets in late May
In the week of May 25, solar photovoltaic (PV) generation increased across major European electricity markets versus the previous week. The strongest weekly growth was reported in Germany and Spain, each up 17%. Italy recorded the smallest increase at 2.6%, while France and Portugal rose by 13% and 16% respectively.
France and Spain extended their upward trend to four consecutive weeks of growth. Germany and Italy continued their third straight week of increases, while Portugal maintained a second consecutive week of expansion.
New solar production records logged between May 26 and May 29
Several markets reached new solar generation records during the same period, reflecting continued growth in installed PV capacity across Europe. On May 26, Italy posted its highest-ever solar output for a May day, producing 161 GWh. On May 28, Germany and France set all-time solar production records at 503 GWh and 179 GWh.
The Iberian Peninsula followed on May 29, when Spain generated 265 GWh and Portugal produced 32 GWh, with both figures marking historic highs for solar output.
AleaSoft forecasts diverging solar trends for the week of June 1
For the week of June 1, forecasts from AleaSoft Energy Forecasting point to different directions across markets. Italy is expected to see additional growth in solar production. By contrast, Germany and Spain are projected to experience declines in output.
The forecasted moves were described as a short-term correction following recent record levels.
Wind generation shows mixed weekly performance in the fourth week of May
Wind energy production in the fourth week of May showed mixed results across Europe. Germany and Portugal recorded increases compared with the previous week, with Germany rising by 14%. Portugal saw a smaller gain of 0.2%.
Italy, France, and Spain, however, extended their downward trend in wind generation into a second consecutive week of decline. Among the declining markets, Italy experienced the largest drop at 50%, followed by France with a 24% decrease.
Spain recorded a smaller decline of 6.1%.
First-week-of-June outlook points to wind recovery across analyzed markets
AleaSoft forecasts for the first week of June indicate a broad recovery in wind energy production across all analyzed markets. Output is expected to be higher than in the previous week as meteorological conditions improve, according to AleaSoft.