In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that Europe’s May weather was marked by a mid-month Arctic cold outbreak followed by a persistent heat dome that brought clear skies, record temperatures, and above-average solar irradiance across much of Central and Western Europe. While the blocking high boosted irradiance by up to 25% in some regions, cloudier conditions on its fringes left areas such as Scotland, Ireland, and Norway with below-average solar resource.
A sharp contrast between persistent heat and a mid-month cold outbreak defined Europe’s weather in May, shaping solar conditions across the continent, according toanalysis using the Solcast API. A blocking high over Central and Western Europe brought clear skies, elevated irradiance and unusually high temperatures across much of thecontinent later in the month. In contrast, Arctic air pushed south in the middle of the month, bringing cloud and thunderstorms that cut into what was otherwise a strong month for solar resource. While much of Europe finished sunnier than normal, areas beyond the blocking high saw below-average irradiance.
The dominant feature through the last part of the month was a blocking high that trapped warm air from Africa over much of Europe. This limited cloud development and produced sunnier-than-usual conditions from Spain to Ukraine. The clearer skies coincided with record temperatures, with multiple countries reporting records broken by several degrees and daily temperatures up to 10 C above average. For solar conditions, the strongest irradiance anomalies were centred around Austria, where levels reached as much as 25% above normal.
