Southeast Europe’s variable renewable generation fell more quickly than electricity demand in the week to 20 September. Wind and solar output together dropped 8.0% to 3,381.01 GWh, while regional electricity demand declined 6.37% to 16,542.31 GWh. Wind output fell 10.3% to 1,407.02 GWh and solar declined 6.2% to 1,973.99 GWh.
Country-level changes in wind and solar generation
The reduction was not uniform across the region. Serbia’s variable renewable output fell 69.6% and Croatia’s declined 54.3%. Romania recorded a 25.9% fall, while Hungary increased its combined wind and solar output by 3.0%. The increase in Hungary was supported by a 5.3% rise in solar generation.
Implications for power price formation and balancing needs
With demand falling less than variable renewables, weaker consumption did not translate into a consistent decline in power prices across markets. Each market had to balance its own hourly generation, consumption and import options. For suppliers and plant operators, the week highlighted that exposure depends on both the timing of renewable output and its weekly total.
A sharp production decline can affect purchases, scheduling and balancing needs before it shows up in the weekly average price.