German solar PV, wind energy peak at 59.1% of electricity production on October 3rd, 2013

German solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind energy peaked at 59.1% of the nation’s hourly electricity production slightly before 12:00 PM on October 3rd, 2013, according to an analysis by renewable energy consultant Bernard Chabot.

This was the result of healthy PV output on a particularly windy day, combined with reduced electricity use on a German holiday. At peak production PV provided 20.5 GW, with wind peaking at 16.6 GW, and the peak of the two combined was 34.6 GW.

Over the 24-hour period PV and wind delivered 36.4% of total electricity production, with PV alone contributing 11.2%.

This also caused conventional power plants to ramp down to as low as 23 GW near 12 PM, which reduced the European electricity price index ELIX in Germany, Austria, France and Switzerland to EUR 0.02/kWh (USD 0.03/kWh) at 2 PM.

This is not the first time that German wind and solar has hit this high percentage of electricity production. During the afternoon of June 16th, 2013 German wind and PV generation peaked at 61% of electricity output, a new record, and reached a high of 59% on the previous day as well.

http://www.solarserver.com/fileadmin/user_upload/downloads/Wind_PV_Germany_Oct_3-13.pdf