Grid Poet — 19 July 2026, 00:00
Wind (17.1 GW) and lignite (6.3 GW) lead midnight generation, with ~8.4 GW net imports covering the shortfall.
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Grid analysis Claude AI
At midnight on a summer night, Germany draws 42.4 GW against 34.0 GW of domestic generation, requiring approximately 8.4 GW of net imports. Wind provides the backbone of supply at 17.1 GW combined (onshore 11.1 GW, offshore 6.0 GW), complemented by a substantial lignite baseload of 6.3 GW and biomass at 4.1 GW; natural gas contributes 4.0 GW and hard coal 1.3 GW. Solar output is zero as expected at this hour. The day-ahead price of 138.7 EUR/MWh is elevated, reflecting the import requirement and the dispatch of higher-marginal-cost thermal units needed to balance the nocturnal demand profile despite a 66% renewable share.
Grid poem Claude AI
Turbines spin through the lightless hours, their pale arms tracing circles against a coal-fired darkness. The grid calls out beyond its borders, buying distant watts to feed a nation that sleeps beneath heavy clouds.
Generation mix
Wind onshore 33%
Wind offshore 17%
Biomass 12%
Hydro 4%
Natural gas 12%
Hard coal 4%
Brown coal 18%
66%
Renewable share
17.1 GW
Wind (on + offshore)
0.0 GW
Solar
34.0 GW
Total generation
8.3 GW
Net import
138.7 EUR/MWh
Day-ahead price
17.5°C / 11 km/h
Temp / Wind speed
Open-Meteo, Kassel (51.3°N 9.5°E) · surface estimate from 100 m wind
96.0% / 0.0 W/m²
Cloud cover / Radiation
237
gCO₂/kWh
Image prompt
Wind onshore 11.1 GW dominates the right half of the scene as dozens of tall three-blade turbines on lattice and tubular towers stretching across rolling hills, their red aviation warning lights blinking in the darkness; wind offshore 6.0 GW appears on the far right horizon as a cluster of turbines with lights reflected on a faint strip of dark sea. Brown coal 6.3 GW occupies the left quarter as a massive lignite power station with three hyperbolic cooling towers emitting thick white-grey steam plumes lit from below by sodium-orange industrial lamps. Biomass 4.1 GW sits left of centre as a mid-sized plant with a tall rectangular boiler building, wood-chip conveyors, and a single chimney with a pale exhaust stream. Natural gas 4.0 GW appears centre-left as two compact CCGT units with polished cylindrical exhaust stacks and smaller vapour trails. Hard coal 1.3 GW is a smaller coal plant with a single cooling tower and a modest stack just visible behind the gas plant. Hydro 1.3 GW appears as a concrete dam structure nestled in a valley at the far left edge, with faint floodlighting on the spillway. The sky is completely black to deep navy, no twilight, no moon — a fully overcast summer midnight with 96% cloud cover blocking all stars. The air feels heavy and oppressive, reflecting 138.7 EUR/MWh prices. Summer vegetation — dense leafy deciduous trees and tall grass — is barely discernible in the industrial glow. Sodium streetlights trace a road in the foreground. Painted in the style of a highly detailed 19th-century German Romantic oil painting — rich dark tones, visible brushwork, atmospheric depth, chiaroscuro from artificial lighting — but with meticulous engineering accuracy on every turbine nacelle, cooling tower, and exhaust stack. No text, no labels.
Grid data: 19 July 2026, 00:00 (Berlin time) · Generated 2026-07-18T22:20 UTC · Download image