Solar Generation Variation

Solar power electricity generation in Europe is limited to a few hours around mid-day in summer. This period is mismatched to the peaks in demand which are in the early morning and evenings.

Solar power has the massive variations because of changes in the position of the sun in the sky. The position is elevation and azimuth of the sun changes throughout the day giving enormous variations of the absorption of the radiation in the atmosphere. The incident angle of the sun on a solar panel also can have a large influence on power output throughout the day. This latter effect is eliminated if the solar panel has a tracking system which always ensures that the panel points directly at the sun, however most solar farms do not use this option and output is much reduced form what could be possible.

The market forces have caused the majority of solar power capacity in Europe to be installed in countries which have the least sunshine.