Record March solar generation in the Czech Republic sent day-ahead power prices swinging as electricity demand stagnated

Czech solar power plants supplied 463 GWh of electricity to the grid in March, making them the third-largest source of electricity after lignite-fired and nuclear power plants. Compared with March 2025, their generation increased by just under 9 GWh, while compared with February it rose by around 300 GWh. Rising solar generation was reflected in day-ahead power prices, which became highly volatile compared with February and frequently fell to zero or negative values. This follows from data available on Energostat. March was nearly 1.9 degrees Celsius warmer than the long-term temperature norm, according to data published on the website of Czech market operator OTE, a.s.. Compared with the freezing January, which pushed electricity demand in the Czech Republic to a nine-year high, this March was more than 8 degrees Celsius warmer. It was also nearly 4 degrees warmer than February. Above-average temperatures resulted in stagnant electricity consumption in the Czech Republic, which stood at around 5.6 TWh, similar to both March last year and consumption in February this year. Compared with January this year, this represented a decline of nearly 1 TWh.

Electricity generation in the Czech Republic fell year on year by nearly 350 GWh in March to just under 6.5 TWh, mainly due to a drop in nuclear generation from 2.6 TWh in 2025 to 2.2 TWh in 2026. Electricity generation from lignite-fired power plants, which have so far been the largest source of electricity in the Czech Republic in every month this year, was almost unchanged compared with both March last year and February this year, at around 2.6 TWh. Of note is the sharp increase in solar power generation compared with February, rising by nearly 300 GWh to just under 463 GWh, a record level for March. By contrast, generation from natural gas-fired power plants fell by 241 GWh over the same period to just under 375 GWh. Rising solar power generation was reflected in prices on the Czech day-ahead market, which began regularly falling to zero or negative values during periods of solar output. During periods of lower solar generation, prices instead began rising towards, or above, the 200 EUR/MWh threshold. Despite the significantly greater price volatility, the average electricity price on the Czech day-ahead market in March, at just under 110 EUR/MWh, was almost identical to that in February. However, it was more than 10 % higher than in March 2025.