Daily guide · CH · 2026-08-26
What solar actually earned per MWh in Switzerland this week
All numbers computed from the week's published auction results at publication and frozen — this article is an honest snapshot, not a page that rewrites itself. Reproduce via the API.
Solar in Switzerland captured an average of 109,38 EUR/MWh this week, against a baseload average of 142,46 EUR/MWh. That puts the capture rate at 0,72, meaning solar earned roughly three-quarters of what a flat, round-the-clock generator did. The week split into two clear halves: from 19 to 21 August capture rates held between 0,88 and 0,98, peaking on 21 August when solar earned 165,00 EUR/MWh against a 167,90 baseload despite peak output of only 1,3 GW.
The weekend told the opposite story. On 22 and 23 August, capture collapsed to 49,18 and 23,93 EUR/MWh, with rates of 0,44 and 0,24, even as peak solar climbed to 3,5 and 3,9 GW. More sun met lower prices: baseload on 23 August fell to 97,71 EUR/MWh. This is the familiar pattern where high midday output erodes the very prices it earns.
The takeaway: output volume did not drive revenue this week. The strongest earning day carried the least solar on the system, while the two highest-output days paid the least. For anyone valuing Swiss solar, price timing matters more than installed peak.
Solar has a pricing problem it created itself: every panel in CH produces at the same hours, so the more the fleet generates, the lower the price each MWh fetches. The number that captures this is the capture price — the generation-weighted price solar actually earned — and the capture rate, that price as a share of the plain average. Brochures quote the average; revenue arrives at the capture price. This week, measured on real generation and auction data:
109.38
€/MWh solar capture price this week (generation-weighted)
142.46
€/MWh baseload average — the number the brochure quotes
72%
capture rate — what solar keeps of the average price
Day by day
| Day | Capture €/MWh | Baseload €/MWh | Capture rate | Peak solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-19 | 143.26 | 163.36 | 88% | 3.6 GW |
| 2026-08-20 | 156.18 | 169.9 | 92% | 3.2 GW |
| 2026-08-21 | 165 | 167.9 | 98% | 1.3 GW |
| 2026-08-22 | 49.18 | 111.57 | 44% | 3.5 GW |
| 2026-08-23 | 23.93 | 97.71 | 24% | 3.9 GW |
| 2026-08-24 | 95.67 | 138.31 | 69% | 2.9 GW |
| 2026-08-25 | 132.47 | 148.5 | 89% | 3.4 GW |
Capture = Σ(hourly price × solar MW) / Σ(solar MW), from realized generation (ENTSO-E A75) and published auction results. Sunny days push the rate DOWN — that's the cannibalization.
Why this number runs businesses
If you're valuing a PPA, sizing a solar+storage project, or hedging merchant exposure, the capture
rate — not the average price — is your revenue line. One week is weather noise; the trend is the
signal: GET /v1/capture/CH?technology=solar&months=24
returns two years of monthly capture prices and rates, and
POST /v1/ppa/value backcasts a pay-as-produced PPA at your strike.
Both are on the Scale tier (Pro gets a teaser);
battery owners can flip the same effect into revenue — see the
battery arbitrage guide for what the storage side earned this week.
Method & citation. Prices are hourly means of published day-ahead auction results (native 15-minute periods averaged; ENTSO-E/SMARD, attributed). Wholesale-price component only — grid fees and taxes come on top and vary by supplier. Cite as "Voltcast Research, voltcast.com/guides/solar-capture-ch-2026-08-26".
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