Daily guide · HU · 2026-08-02
What solar actually earned per MWh in Hungary 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 Hungary captured an average of 67,73 EUR/MWh this week against a baseload of 123,46 EUR/MWh, giving a capture rate of 0,53. In practice, solar earned just over half of what round-the-clock power fetched — a familiar discount driven by the middle-of-the-day supply that solar itself creates.
The week's spread is what stands out. On 26 July, capture sank to 26,67 EUR/MWh at a rate of just 0,29, with peak output at 3,2 GW. By 31 July the picture inverted: capture reached 117,66 EUR/MWh and the rate climbed to 0,75, even as peak solar held at 4,2 GW. The same fleet, similar sun, wildly different value — the difference sits in the surrounding price level, with baseload on 31 July at 157,81 EUR/MWh.
The takeaway: this week, higher peak output did not reliably mean lower capture. The 4,2 GW days delivered both the best and one of the mid-range rates. For anyone modelling merchant solar revenue here, weekly averages hide a rate range from 0,29 to 0,75. Track the daily capture rate, not just installed volume.
Solar has a pricing problem it created itself: every panel in HU 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:
67.73
€/MWh solar capture price this week (generation-weighted)
123.46
€/MWh baseload average — the number the brochure quotes
53%
capture rate — what solar keeps of the average price
Day by day
| Day | Capture €/MWh | Baseload €/MWh | Capture rate | Peak solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-26 | 26.67 | 92.01 | 29% | 3.2 GW |
| 2026-07-27 | 51.1 | 95.58 | 53% | 3.1 GW |
| 2026-07-28 | 57.64 | 122.08 | 47% | 3.7 GW |
| 2026-07-29 | 68.99 | 132.34 | 52% | 4 GW |
| 2026-07-30 | 72.32 | 132.14 | 55% | 4.2 GW |
| 2026-07-31 | 117.66 | 157.81 | 75% | 4.2 GW |
| 2026-08-01 | 79.74 | 132.28 | 60% | 3.9 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/HU?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-hu-2026-08-02".
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