In the week of May 18, solar photovoltaic (PV) generation increased across the main European electricity markets compared to the previous week, reflecting stronger seasonal irradiation and improving weather conditions. The German market recorded the largest increase of 28%, followed by Italy and France with rises of 19% and 11%, respectively. Spain saw a more modest increase of 2.2%, while Portugal grew by 9.4%. France and Spain extended their upward trend to a third consecutive week, while Germany and Italy posted gains for a second week in a row, confirming sustained momentum in solar output across key markets.
During the same period, several countries reached record daily solar generation levels for May, highlighting the intensity of early summer production conditions. On May 20, Italy and Portugal achieved their highest daily solar output of the month, reaching 160 GWh and 28 GWh, respectively. Spain also posted strong performance on the same day, recording 227 GWh, its second-highest daily solar generation in May. France set a new May record on May 22 with 169 GWh, while Germany reached its peak for the month on May 25 with 480 GWh, which also represented its second-highest ever daily solar output.
Looking ahead to the week of May 25, forecasts from AleaSoft Energy Forecasting indicate continued growth in solar production in Germany, Italy and Spain, suggesting that high photovoltaic output is likely to persist as seasonal conditions remain favorable.
In contrast to solar trends, wind energy production declined sharply across most major European markets during the third week of May. Germany experienced the most significant drop, falling by 57%, while Italy saw the smallest decrease at 13%. Spain, Portugal and France recorded declines of 28%, 30% and 33%, respectively. Portugal extended its downward trend to a second consecutive week, reflecting weaker wind conditions across the Iberian Peninsula and parts of Western Europe.
Despite the overall decline, Italy still reached a peak daily wind generation level for May on May 22, producing 131 GWh, demonstrating significant intra-week volatility in wind output even within a broader downward trend.
For the final week of May, forecasts suggest a rebound in wind generation in Germany, while the Iberian Peninsula, France and Italy are expected to experience lower wind production, indicating a continued divergence in regional wind patterns across Europe, AleaSoft reports.