Grid Poet — 17 July 2026, 04:00
Brown coal and gas dominate pre-dawn generation while 15.1 GW of net imports fill a wide supply gap.
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Grid analysis Claude AI
At 04:00 on a mid-July night, German consumption sits at 45.6 GW against 30.5 GW of domestic generation, requiring approximately 15.1 GW of net imports. Brown coal dominates the generation stack at 10.8 GW (35% of domestic output), supported by 5.6 GW of natural gas and 3.9 GW of hard coal — thermal plant together contributes roughly two-thirds of supply. Renewables deliver 10.3 GW (33.7%), almost entirely from onshore wind (4.9 GW), biomass (3.7 GW), and hydro (1.3 GW), with zero solar contribution at this pre-dawn hour and minimal offshore wind at 0.4 GW. The day-ahead price of 142.9 EUR/MWh is elevated, consistent with high import dependency, full cloud cover suppressing early solar expectations, and light winds limiting turbine output.
Grid poem Claude AI
Beneath a starless summer vault, the furnaces of lignite glow like ancient forges feeding a sleepless nation's hunger. A few pale turbines turn in the listless dark, their whisper lost against the coal-fired thunder.
Generation mix
Wind onshore 16%
Wind offshore 1%
Biomass 12%
Hydro 4%
Natural gas 18%
Hard coal 13%
Brown coal 35%
34%
Renewable share
5.3 GW
Wind (on + offshore)
0.0 GW
Solar
30.5 GW
Total generation
15.1 GW
Net import
142.9 EUR/MWh
Day-ahead price
17.8°C / 4 km/h
Temp / Wind speed
Open-Meteo, Kassel (51.3°N 9.5°E) · surface estimate from 100 m wind
100.0% / 0.0 W/m²
Cloud cover / Radiation
475
gCO₂/kWh
Image prompt
Brown coal 10.8 GW dominates the left third of the scene as a cluster of massive hyperbolic cooling towers emitting thick white-grey steam plumes, lit from below by orange sodium lamps; natural gas 5.6 GW occupies the centre-left as a pair of compact CCGT power stations with tall single exhaust stacks and glowing turbine halls visible through windows; hard coal 3.9 GW appears centre-right as a blocky coal-fired plant with conveyor belts and a tall chimney emitting thin grey smoke; onshore wind 4.9 GW fills the right quarter as a scattered line of three-blade turbines on lattice towers, blades barely turning in the calm air, their red aviation warning lights blinking; biomass 3.7 GW is rendered as a mid-ground wood-chip-fed generation facility with a modest stack and warm interior glow; hydro 1.3 GW appears as a small concrete run-of-river station beside a dark river reflecting industrial lights; offshore wind 0.4 GW is hinted at as a faint cluster of tiny red blinking lights on the far horizon beyond the river. The sky is completely dark, deep navy-black, 100% overcast with no stars, no moon, no twilight — it is 4 AM in July. The atmosphere is heavy and oppressive, reflecting the high electricity price: low thick clouds catch the amber and sodium-orange glow of the industrial facilities below. Summer vegetation — lush deciduous trees and tall grass — is faintly visible in the artificial light, still and unstirred by the near-calm 4.5 km/h breeze. The air is warm and humid at 17.8°C, with a faint haze around the cooling towers. Painted as a highly detailed oil painting in the tradition of 19th-century German Romantic landscape art — rich, moody palette of deep indigo, burnt orange, sulphurous yellow, and charcoal grey, with visible impasto brushwork and atmospheric depth. Every power station is rendered with meticulous engineering accuracy: turbine nacelles, three-blade rotors, aluminium-framed structures, hyperbolic concrete cooling tower geometry, gas turbine exhaust diffusers. The composition conveys the vast scale of industrial power generation humming through a dark, overcast summer night. No text, no labels.
Grid data: 17 July 2026, 04:00 (Berlin time) · Generated 2026-07-17T02:20 UTC · Download image