In mid-February, significant shifts in energy production were observed across Europe’s electricity markets, particularly in solar photovoltaic generation. The week of February 16 marked a notable increase in solar output, with Portugal leading the charge with a remarkable 95% surge, achieving its third consecutive week of growth. Spain followed closely with a 69% increase, also extending its upward trajectory for three weeks. Italy’s solar production rose by 62%, continuing a robust four-week streak, while France experienced a 39% uptick, reversing a previous decline. Germany’s growth was more modest at 5.4%, indicating a varied landscape in solar energy performance across the continent.
Italy achieved a landmark on February 22, setting an all-time record for daily solar photovoltaic generation for February at 110 GWh. Forecasts from AleaSoft Energy Forecasting suggest that this trend may continue into the week of February 23, with anticipated increases in solar production across Germany, Italy, and Spain.
Wind energy also experienced fluctuations during the same week. Germany saw a significant rebound with wind power generation increasing by 60%, following two weeks of declines. Italy reported a 33% rise in wind energy output, reversing its downward trend. France managed to secure its third consecutive week of growth in wind generation, albeit with a modest increase of 1.7%. Conversely, the Iberian Peninsula faced sharp declines in wind energy production, with Portugal’s output dropping by 56% and Spain’s by 33%.
On February 17, Italy set a new record for wind energy production on a February day, reaching an impressive 178 GWh. However, projections indicate that wind energy output is expected to decline across major European markets in the following week, according to AleaSoft Energy Forecasting’s latest insights.
