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When solar is a zero-sum game

Negative prices are becoming more frequent in key European markets due to solar and wind intermittency, seasonal variations influencing demand and generation profiles, dated grid infrastructure, and market design. Battery storage absorbs excess generation, and tariffs shift consumption during peak demand, but too much market intervention can do more harm than good.

By

Blathnaid O’Dea

05 Dec 2025

Europe’s negative electricity price problem has been festering for a few years, and according to some of the market insiders pv magazine has heard from, the situation is only going to get worse. So far this year, Sweden’s Price Zone 2 recorded the most negative electricity price hours (593), followed by the Netherlands (584), Germany …

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