Renewable output reached significant levels in April, but Electricity.Trade generation analytics confirm that temporal imbalance—not volume—is the defining challenge.
Solar generation exceeded 5,174 MW, dominating midday supply and suppressing prices across multiple markets. Electricity.Trade solar curves show sharp production peaks within a 4–5 hour window, followed by rapid decline.
Hydropower, at 6,252 MW, provided partial balancing support, but Electricity.Trade dispatch data indicates that hydro units increasingly shifted to peak-hour optimisation, reducing their availability for midday smoothing.
Wind generation remained limited at around 1,910 MW, offering insufficient counterbalance to solar variability. Electricity.Trade wind tracking confirms low correlation with peak demand periods, reinforcing system imbalance.
This resulted in a structurally unstable generation profile:
- Midday surplus: up to +2–3 GW system oversupply
- Evening deficit: rapid drop requiring multi-GW ramp-up
Electricity.Trade system balance models show that flexibility gaps during ramp hours remain above 2 GW, forcing increased reliance on imports and thermal generation.
The imbalance also increased curtailment risk. Without sufficient storage or demand response, excess solar generation could not be fully absorbed, leading to negative pricing events and lost generation value.
April confirms that renewable expansion without parallel flexibility investment amplifies volatility rather than stabilising markets.