Daily guide · PL · 2026-07-30
What solar actually earned per MWh in Poland 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 Poland captured an average of 58,98 EUR/MWh this week, against a baseload of 112,05 EUR/MWh. That puts the average capture rate at 0,50, meaning solar earned just half of what round-the-clock generation did. The week opened strongly, with 107,10 EUR/MWh and a 0,83 rate on 23 July, then fell sharply as midday output climbed.
The pattern is instructive. On 25 and 26 July, peak solar reached 11,4 GW and 11,1 GW, yet capture dropped to 33,22 and 22,62 EUR/MWh, with rates of 0,33 and 0,25. More panels feeding the same midday hours pushed prices down precisely when solar was selling. The 29 July recovery to 77,14 EUR/MWh came alongside a firmer baseload of 128,15 EUR/MWh, not weaker output, since peak solar that day was the week's highest at 12 GW.
The takeaway for readers is that capture value tracked baseload strength far more than it tracked sunshine. When you model Polish solar revenue, weight the surrounding price level over installed peak. This week, the highest-output days delivered some of the lowest captures.
Solar has a pricing problem it created itself: every panel in PL 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:
58.98
€/MWh solar capture price this week (generation-weighted)
112.05
€/MWh baseload average — the number the brochure quotes
50%
capture rate — what solar keeps of the average price
Day by day
| Day | Capture €/MWh | Baseload €/MWh | Capture rate | Peak solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-23 | 107.1 | 128.74 | 83% | 9.2 GW |
| 2026-07-24 | 86.39 | 132.75 | 65% | 10 GW |
| 2026-07-25 | 33.22 | 100.8 | 33% | 11.4 GW |
| 2026-07-26 | 22.62 | 90.25 | 25% | 11.1 GW |
| 2026-07-27 | 41.8 | 91.63 | 46% | 8.4 GW |
| 2026-07-28 | 44.6 | 112.02 | 40% | 11.5 GW |
| 2026-07-29 | 77.14 | 128.15 | 60% | 12 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/PL?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-pl-2026-07-30".
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