{"id":264413,"date":"2026-02-04T09:30:56","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T08:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.memo.mk\/?p=264413"},"modified":"2026-02-04T09:37:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T08:37:57","slug":"the-impact-of-solar-energy-on-the-day-ahead-market-a-data-driven-analysis-approach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.memo.mk\/?p=264413","title":{"rendered":"The Impact of Solar Energy on the Day-Ahead Market: A Data-Driven Analysis Approach"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Written by: Ana Angelova, Market Operations Expert,
National Electricity Market Operator \u2013 MEMO LLC

Introduction
<\/strong>In recent years, we have witnessed a significant expansion in the use of renewable energy sources. Solar energy plays a particularly important role, as it represents a clean, accessible, and inexhaustible resource. This decreases the dependence on fossil fuels and, at the same time, the negative impact on the environment. But this also brings forth new challenges. Unlike traditional sources such as coal or gas, which can be controlled and planned, solar energy depends on weather conditions and daylight hours. This creates additional difficulties in balancing the electricity system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Objective of the paper <\/strong>

The analysis aims to illustrate seasonal trends and highlight the correlation between photovoltaic generation, consumption, traded volume on the dayahead market, and the achieved price, taking into account that the day-ahead market operates in an isolated mode, i.e., it is not connected to any other market. Official market data for the entire year of 2024 were used, specifically for hours in which the efficiency of photovoltaic plants exceeded 30%.

Analysis results <\/strong>

What stands out is a clearly defined seasonal dynamic: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Electricity consumption remains relatively stable throughout the year, with minor decreases during the spring and summer months. In contrast, photovoltaic generation follows a pronounced seasonal pattern, reaching its peak in the summer months due to increased solar radiation and longer daylight hours. The lowest levels of photovoltaic plant generation are observed in the winter months, especially in December and January. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the electricity produced by photovoltaic plants increases, the traded volume on the day-ahead market also rises. Prices are lowest in April, a period that can be associated with milder weather conditions, lower consumption, and increased generation of electricity produced by photovoltaic plants. However, from the summer months onward, especially in winter, prices begin to rise, reaching a peak in November. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The peak in day-ahead market prices in November coincides with a period of low generation of electricity produced by photovoltaic plants and higher consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increased electricity generation from photovoltaic plants is associated with lower prices, while low generation leads to higher market prices, emphasizing the impact of renewable energy availability on price formation. The trend indicates that energy policies should focus on addressing weaknesses during the winter period and harnessing the potential of solar energy in summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Possible solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 With the increased share of renewable sources, particularly electricity generated from photovoltaic systems, there is a need for better integration of these sources into the electricity system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Several key mechanisms stand out as priorities: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Flexible market mechanisms <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Short-term market integration (15-minute intervals): Enables faster market response to changes in generation and demand; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Introduction of an Intraday market: Allows participants to better optimize their portfolios; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Dynamic Tariffs: Encourage consumers to use electricity during periods of highest photovoltaic generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Guarantees of Origin: Ensure the proven origin of the electricity used by end consumers, reduce the carbon footprint, and create new business opportunities for producers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Energy Storage Technologies<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Battery systems: Store excess energy and use it during evening hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Pumped storage hydropower systems: Use pumped energy as large-scale batteries; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 In addition, harmonization with the European energy framework is essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

North Macedonia, as a signatory country of the Energy Community, is legally obliged to align its market with EU rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This includes: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Adoption of network codes developed by ENTSO-E, which allow for technical harmonization, interconnection, and flexibility;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Implementation of market coupling (day-ahead market and intraday market) with the single European market, thus enabling greater liquidity and integration of renewable sources;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Introduction of smart metering devices; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Implementation of appropriate financial mechanisms such as Contract for Difference (CfD) and Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) agreements;

MEMO Info<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by: Ana Angelova, Market Operations Expert, National Electricity Market Operator \u2013 MEMO LLC Introduction In recent years, we have witnessed a significant expansion in the use of renewable energy sources. Solar energy plays a particularly important role, as it represents a clean, accessible, and inexhaustible resource. This decreases the dependence on fossil fuels and, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":264422,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[110],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-264413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-2-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.memo.mk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.memo.mk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.memo.mk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.memo.mk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.memo.mk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=264413"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.memo.mk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264413\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":264426,"href":"https:\/\/www.memo.mk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264413\/revisions\/264426"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.memo.mk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/264422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.memo.mk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=264413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.memo.mk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=264413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.memo.mk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=264413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}