In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that record June heat was accompanied by a stark north–south split in Europe’s solar resource, with persistent high pressure boosting irradiance by up to 25% across western and southern Europe while Atlantic weather systems reduced irradiance by as much as 25% across Scandinavia, the UK and Ireland. The observed pattern broadly matched seasonal forecasts but with stronger-than-expected regional contrasts, highlighting exceptional solar gains in France, northern Spain and northern Italy alongside significant deficits in northern Europe.
Record-breaking June heat coincided with a sharp regional split in European solar resource, according to analysis using the Solcast API. Persistent high pressure over France, Iberia and the western Mediterranean limited cloud formation and lifted irradiance across western and southern Europe, while repeated Atlantic weather systems brought cloud and rainfall to Scandinavia, the UK and Ireland, reducing irradiance further north. These patterns broadly aligned with expectations from earlier seasonal outlooks, although the contrast between regions was more pronounced than anticipated. The spatial pattern shows a clear split between above-average irradiance in western and southern Europe and below-average irradiance across parts of northern Europe.
