![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\"){kind=logo}
\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n
Europe has been baking amid its first major heatwave of the season, with the UK and France experiencing record May temperatures. <\/p>\n
\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n
\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n
Sunny skies have caused a surge in solar power output, resulting in negative electricity prices in some parts of Europe – where the wholesale market of electricity dips below zero due to supply outstripping demand. <\/p>\n
While this may sound like a welcome relief for consumers amid spiralling energy costs, this increasing phenomenon won\u2019t actually lower your bills.<\/p>\n
Plus, soaring temperatures can actually hinder some kinds of renewable energy output. <\/p>\n
Heatwave turns power prices negative<\/p>\n
A recent Bloomberg analysis found that the UK saw solar meet almost half of its electricity demand at around midday last Sunday (24 May) \u2013 the highest ever, according to NESO data<\/a> \u2013 as temperatures climbed to a sweltering 32.2\u00b0C in London.<\/p>\n The surge in renewable power pushed hourly prices in France below zero at around 1pm on Tuesday, 26 May on Epex Spot<\/a> \u2013 while the country suffered under a \u201chighly anomalous and powerful\u201d heat dome.<\/p>\n This is not the first time this has occurred this year. According to analytics firm Montel<\/a>, negative electricity prices<\/a> on the Iberian Peninsula hit a new all-time high in the first quarter of 2026. <\/p>\n Spain was hit the worst, recording 397 hours of negative prices between January and March, a significant spike compared to the 48 hours registered in the same period of 2025, while Portugal reached 222 hours of sub-zero prices during the same period.<\/p>\n Why do negative electricity prices occur?<\/p>\n Electricity prices go negative when supply exceeds demand. In Europe\u2019s day-ahead market, energy producers submit offers saying how much electricity they will sell at what price. Normally, that price is positive.<\/p>\n However, ideal weather conditions can drastically boost solar and wind<\/a> output \u2013 meaning more energy is being produced than is needed. This can often occur on public holidays, when people are more likely to be using less energy than they normally would.<\/p>\n Generators can underbid each other, based on operating and restart costs, to avoid being switched off (curtailed). This is because they either still make money through subsidies\/contracts or because they will lose more money through curtailment.<\/p>\n Last year, for example, Britain wasted a staggering \u00a31.47 billion (around \u20ac1.67 billion) by turning down wind turbines and paying gas plants to switch on.<\/p>\n How can Europe stop negative electricity pricing?<\/p>\n Solving negative electricity pricing is no easy feat. Europe\u2019s outdated energy grid<\/a> was never designed for the renewables boom, and is instead set up for centrally-located plants. This means that wind and solar energy \u2013 which tend to be located in remote areas \u2013 often can\u2019t get to where it is needed, like homes and offices.<\/p>\n While grid investment in Europe has increased by 47 per cent over the past five years to around \u20ac70 billion annually, experts warn it still falls short of what\u2019s required.<\/p>\n A recent report by energy think tank Ember warns that more than 120 GW of anticipated renewables are at risk due to Europe\u2019s \u201cinsufficient grid capacity\u201d. This includes 16GW of rooftop solar installations, impacting more than 1.5 million households across Europe.<\/p>\n Giving away free or discounted energy<\/a> is another way of tackling negative electricity prices, an incentive already being considered in the UK. <\/p>\n Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy, which has long been pushing for reforms to provide cheaper energy rather than curtailing wind power, says such initiatives should be made permanent to persuade consumers to invest in electrification.<\/p>\n Can battery storage fix Europe\u2019s outdated energy grid?<\/p>\n The main issue around negative electricity prices is that excess electricity is hard to store. This has resulted in calls to bolster Europe\u2019s battery energy storage systems (BESS).<\/p>\n Last year, the EU installed 27.1 GWh of new BESS \u2013 marking 12 consecutive years of record growth.<\/p>\n According to a 2026 Solar Power Europe report<\/a>, despite a tenfold expansion of the EU battery fleet since 2021, reaching more than 77 GWh today, Europe remains \u201cfar from where it needs to be\u201d.<\/p>\n To meet its 2030 targets, the EU must repeat its tenfold growth once again \u2013 scaling battery storage towards 750GWh within the next five years.<\/p>\n Five EU markets delivered more than 60 per cent of all new BESS capacity in 2025, with Germany and Italy leading the race. Bulgaria became the fastest-growing market, bumping up to third place, followed by the Netherlands and Spain.<\/p>\n Heatwave hinders other renewables<\/p>\n While solar output is surging, rising temperatures can be a hindrance<\/a> to other kinds of renewable power. <\/p>\n There are concerns over hydro and nuclear availability this summer due to increased water temperature in rivers used for cooling French reactors. <\/p>\n The heat dome effect also slows wind speeds. The Bloomberg analysis reports that below-normal wind generation was forecast last week in Germany, Spain, Italy and France. <\/p>\n In France, output dropped to about 0.5 gigawatts around 1pm on 29 May, according to RTE data<\/a>. It has averaged 7.4 gigawatts so far this year. <\/p>\n Even solar power is not immune. Intense heat can actually reduce efficiency while increasing strain on the electricity grid.<\/p>\n