The price of electricity rose again at the beginning of this week, after being stable for a while last week. Electricity therefore remains relatively expensive. Solar and depending on the day wind energy made a royal contribution to the energy mix last week.
The base price of electricity on the Epex Spot (day ahead) comes out this morning (Tuesday 17 May) at €221,37 per MWh. That is considerably higher than the €208,10 per MWh of Monday 16 May and the highest quotation in the past ten days. To find a pacemaker behind the movement, all you have to do is look outside. The mostly cloudy weather put a damper on the solar panel owners, who saw their efficiency significantly lower than the sunny days before. By way of illustration: the data from Energieopwek shows that 6,33 GW of solar energy was generated at the peak on Monday. One day earlier that was 10,46 GW.
And that while solar energy had a dampening effect on the price of electricity last week. From Tuesday, May 10 to Sunday, May 15, the price remained remarkably stable, at around €150 to €160 per MWh. About half of the electricity came from so-called 'renewable energy' (solar, wind, hydropower and biomass), according to energy expert Martien Visser, about half of which comes from solar energy. In the middle of the afternoon on 11 May, more than 100% of the electricity in the Netherlands came from sun and wind. And that on a working day, says Visser.
Coal-fired power stations silent
As a result, the electricity producers completely shut down the coal-fired power stations last week. You would say no problem, because the government wants the power stations to stop in order to achieve the climate goals. But with the war in Ukraine, other strategic interests are at play. Because the coal-fired power stations are temporarily inactive, more gas is used in the Netherlands, including Russian gas. And according to energy experts such as Visser, that gas can be used better to fill the gas circulations in the Netherlands, so that it can get through the coming winter well. These surcharges are now approximately 33% full.
Much more clouds, including rain and thunderstorms, are expected this week, making the share of sun in the energy mix considerably lower than in the past week. This has a price boosting effect, which is reflected in today's listing on the Epex Spot.