Daily guide · DK1 · 2026-08-29
What solar actually earned per MWh in Denmark West 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 Denmark West captured an average of 82,54 EUR/MWh this week, against a baseload of 123,97 EUR/MWh, for a capture rate of 0,63. The week split cleanly in two. The opening days were weak: on 23 August capture fell to 25,88 EUR/MWh at a rate of just 0,30, with peak solar output of 1,3 GW. From 24 August onward, capture held near or above 100 EUR/MWh on four of the remaining five days.
The standout is 28 August, where capture reached 127,73 EUR/MWh at a rate of 0,95 — but with peak solar of only 0,4 GW. Scarcity, not abundance, drove that number. Contrast 26 August: 123,14 EUR/MWh captured at 2,5 GW peak and a 0,81 rate, which is the stronger commercial result because it pairs high price with real volume.
The takeaway: this week, capture rate moved inversely with how much solar was on the system. Days with 2,5 GW or more still cleared rates of 0,68 to 0,81, so healthy output did not collapse value. Watch volume-weighted days like 26 August rather than the thin-supply spikes.
Solar has a pricing problem it created itself: every panel in DK1 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:
82.54
€/MWh solar capture price this week (generation-weighted)
123.97
€/MWh baseload average — the number the brochure quotes
63%
capture rate — what solar keeps of the average price
Day by day
| Day | Capture €/MWh | Baseload €/MWh | Capture rate | Peak solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-22 | 38.96 | 96.2 | 41% | 1.8 GW |
| 2026-08-23 | 25.88 | 86.05 | 30% | 1.3 GW |
| 2026-08-24 | 100.45 | 146.67 | 68% | 2.8 GW |
| 2026-08-25 | 100.41 | 140.32 | 72% | 2.9 GW |
| 2026-08-26 | 123.14 | 152.52 | 81% | 2.5 GW |
| 2026-08-27 | 61.18 | 111.78 | 55% | 2.6 GW |
| 2026-08-28 | 127.73 | 134.28 | 95% | 0.4 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/DK1?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-dk1-2026-08-29".
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