Recent developments in Europe’s energy landscape show a notable increase in solar energy production, particularly in the Iberian and Italian markets. During the week of March 9, solar photovoltaic generation saw significant gains, with Spain leading the charge at a remarkable 38% increase. Italy followed with a 21% rise, while Portugal contributed an 18% boost to the overall solar output. Conversely, both the French and German markets experienced declines after extended periods of growth, with Germany facing a substantial drop of 30%, and France a modest decrease of 0.8%.
The Iberian region achieved historical milestones for solar energy production during this period. On March 11, Portugal set a new record by generating 22 GWh, followed closely by Spain, which recorded its peak output of 180 GWh on March 13. These achievements underscore the growing capacity and efficiency of solar technologies in southern Europe.
AleaSoft Energy Forecasting anticipates that the week of March 16 will see an uptick in solar production in both Germany and Italy. However, forecasts indicate that the Spanish market may experience a downturn in solar output during this timeframe.
<pIn terms of wind energy, the second week of March marked a resurgence for both Germany and France, which had seen declines in previous weeks. Germany reported a striking increase of 95%, while France’s wind production rose by 91%. In contrast, the Iberian and Italian markets witnessed reversals from their prior upward trends; Spain encountered the largest decline at 28%, while Italy’s drop was comparatively smaller at 3.7%. Additionally, Portugal’s wind energy production fell by 9.1%.
The peak for wind energy production in March was achieved on March 13, when France and Germany reached their highest outputs for this month in two years, generating 297 GWh and 778 GWh, respectively. This performance highlights the volatility and potential of wind resources across these markets.
Ahead of the third week of March, projections by AleaSoft suggest that wind energy production will continue to rise in Germany and Italy. However, declines are expected in both the Iberian Peninsula and French markets, indicating ongoing fluctuations in renewable energy generation across Europe.
