Solar Surge Sends French Power Prices Negative
France’s solar power generation hit a new record this week, sending intraday electricity prices into negative territory for several hours—a stark reminder of the volatility created by rapid swings in renewable output.
At 2 p.m. Thursday, French solar output surged to 19.5 gigawatts, meeting nearly 40% of national demand, according to grid operator RTE. That figure beat Bloomberg’s forecast peak of 18 GW and contributed to a midday glut of electricity that pushed prices as low as -€11 per megawatt-hour, Epex Spot SE data shows.
As recently as in April, RTE issued a warning to power suppliers and traders who were ignoring the rules and creating havoc by exacerbating the power glut. And here we are again.
While solar is plentiful during sunny afternoons like this, its intermittent nature creates complications for power grids. When solar output surges beyond expectations—as it did here—it can overwhelm demand, dragging prices down. Conversely, when clouds roll in or night falls, grid operators must rapidly ramp up dispatchable sources, often at higher cost.
These ebbs and flows in generation highlight a key challenge for energy systems transitioning to higher shares of renewables: managing price volatility and maintaining grid stability in real time.
Negative pricing, though less frequent now than during the spring glut, still occurs across Europe. In France’s case, power prices dipped below zero between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Thursday. These events point to the growing need for flexible assets such as battery storage, demand-side response, or fast-ramping conventional generation to smooth out imbalances.
France, like much of Europe, is investing heavily in renewable energy. But as penetration rises, so does the risk of destabilizing price swings—especially on days when solar dramatically overperforms forecasts. Until large-scale storage and flexible load solutions scale up, episodes like this will remain a feature of the market.
Solar is cheap and increasingly abundant—but managing its highs and lows is becoming a full-time job for grid operators.
By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com
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