Grid Poet — 12 September 2026, 02:00
Brown coal and gas dominate overnight generation as near-calm winds and tight supply drive prices above 196 EUR/MWh.
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Grid analysis Claude AI
At 02:00 on a mild September night, German consumption stands at 38.9 GW against 31.2 GW of domestic generation, requiring approximately 7.7 GW of net imports. Brown coal dominates the generation stack at 12.2 GW, followed by natural gas at 6.7 GW and hard coal at 4.3 GW, reflecting heavy thermal reliance during a period of near-zero wind (onshore 2.6 GW, offshore 0.5 GW) and no solar output. The day-ahead price of 196.4 EUR/MWh is notably elevated for a nighttime hour, consistent with the tight supply-demand balance, high import dependency, and the marginal cost of gas-fired generation setting the price. Biomass at 3.8 GW and hydro at 1.0 GW provide steady baseload renewable contributions, but the overall renewable share of 25.6% remains modest.
Grid poem Claude AI
Beneath a starless vault the furnaces of lignite breathe their ancient carbon skyward, towers crowned in pale and restless steam. The wind has fled, the sun is hours away, and the grid leans heavy on the burning bones of forests older than memory.
Generation mix
Wind onshore 8%
Wind offshore 2%
Biomass 12%
Hydro 3%
Natural gas 22%
Hard coal 14%
Brown coal 39%
26%
Renewable share
3.1 GW
Wind (on + offshore)
0.0 GW
Solar
31.2 GW
Total generation
7.8 GW
Net import
196.4 EUR/MWh
Day-ahead price
13.1°C / 0 km/h
Temp / Wind speed
Open-Meteo, Kassel (51.3°N 9.5°E) · surface estimate from 100 m wind
38.0% / 0.0 W/m²
Cloud cover / Radiation
529
gCO₂/kWh
Image prompt
Brown coal 12.2 GW dominates the left third of the scene as a massive lignite power station complex with five hyperbolic cooling towers releasing thick white steam plumes into the night air; natural gas 6.7 GW fills the centre-left as three compact CCGT units with tall single exhaust stacks and lit turbine halls; hard coal 4.3 GW appears centre-right as a conventional coal plant with a tall chimney and coal conveyor belts illuminated by sodium floodlights; biomass 3.8 GW is rendered as a cluster of smaller industrial facilities with cylindrical storage silos and modest stacks, glowing warmly from interior lighting; wind onshore 2.6 GW appears as a sparse row of three-blade turbines on a distant ridge, their rotors barely turning, red aviation warning lights blinking; wind offshore 0.5 GW is suggested by a faint pair of turbines on the far horizon; hydro 1.0 GW is depicted as a small dam structure with water gleaming faintly under artificial light at the right edge. The scene is set at 2 AM on a September night: the sky is completely black with no twilight or sky glow, only a scattering of dim stars visible through 38% cloud cover — thin clouds drifting across the darkness. All illumination comes from sodium-yellow and white industrial lighting at the power stations, casting harsh pools of light on concrete structures and steam. The air is still, with virtually no wind — smoke and steam rise perfectly vertically, creating an oppressive, heavy atmosphere reflecting the very high electricity price. Mild early-autumn vegetation — dark grasses and deciduous trees with full green canopies barely visible at the edges of the lamplight. The overall mood is weighty, brooding, industrial. Rendered as a highly detailed oil painting in the tradition of 19th-century German Romantic landscape art — rich dark palette of deep navy, amber, and ochre, visible textured brushwork, atmospheric depth with layers of steam receding into blackness, meticulous engineering detail on every turbine nacelle, cooling tower, and exhaust stack. No text, no labels.
Grid data: 12 September 2026, 02:00 (Berlin time) · Generated 2026-09-12T00:20 UTC · Download image