Overview
- Following a run of cloudless days, midday solar output briefly topped national use and available storage, which drove wholesale prices negative and paid some flexible‑tariff customers up to €0.40–€0.50 per kWh to take power.
- Energy economist Lion Hirth urged household solar owners to switch off systems ahead of the sunny spell, as grid operators can already curtail large plants but many small rooftops still lack smart meters for remote control.
- The solar industry reports about 28 GWh of battery capacity after record first‑quarter investments, yet that covers roughly a half‑hour surge, so trade group BSW is pushing faster grid connections for new storage.
- Economics Minister Katherina Reiche is considering slowing new solar connections, while suppliers and experts argue for a faster rollout of smart meters, dynamic pricing, bidirectional EV charging and hydrogen electrolysis to soak up peaks.
- Commentary points to Italy’s day‑ahead consumer alerts that nudge households to run appliances during high‑solar hours, and German outlets differ in tone but converge on the view that flexibility shortfalls, not permanent overproduction, caused the price swings.