The story. Spain and France each broke their all-time records for solar electricity generated in a single May day last week, according to AleaSoft Energy Forecasting, a Spanish energy consultancy. Spain produced 229 GWh on May 6, and France hit 160 GWh two days later. The surplus helped both countries keep weekly average electricity prices well below most European peers — €59.76/MWh and €73.95/MWh respectively, while most markets exceeded €100/MWh (AleaSoft).

The bigger picture. The records land differently in each country. In Spain, solar was already the single largest electricity source in 2025, generating 62.9 TWh and narrowly edging out gas at 62.06 TWh (Ember). A new daily record there reflects expanding capacity, not just a sunny afternoon. France tells a different story: solar contributed just 32 TWh in 2025, dwarfed by nuclear's 392 TWh (Ember). France's record is notable because solar remains a small slice of a nuclear-dominated grid, and its average solar irradiance — a measure of how much energy from sunlight reaches the ground — is 3.54 kWh/m²/day, well below Spain's 4.67 (Open-Meteo, 2025). The price gap across Europe was stark: Portugal, which shares the Iberian electricity market with Spain, posted the week's lowest average at €58.88/MWh, while Italy — where solar output actually dropped — recorded the highest at €131.47/MWh (AleaSoft).

The tension. Abundant solar suppresses wholesale prices on the sunniest days, which benefits consumers but squeezes revenue for the solar producers financing the next wave of capacity.