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Grid Poet — 17 May 2026, 20:00
Brown coal and gas dominate a tight evening grid requiring ~20 GW net imports under overcast, low-wind conditions.
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Grid analysis Claude AI
At 20:00 on a fully overcast May evening, German domestic generation of 29.5 GW falls well short of 49.3 GW consumption, requiring approximately 19.8 GW of net imports. Brown coal leads the generation stack at 8.1 GW, followed by natural gas at 6.0 GW, biomass at 4.5 GW, and hard coal at 4.0 GW—together these thermal sources provide over 76% of domestic output. Wind contributes a modest 4.7 GW combined onshore and offshore under light winds, while solar is effectively negligible at 1.0 GW as the sun has set. The day-ahead price of 155.8 EUR/MWh reflects the tight domestic supply-demand balance, heavy reliance on thermal dispatch, and the cost of substantial cross-border imports during the evening demand peak.
Grid poem Claude AI
Beneath a starless vault of iron cloud, the furnaces of lignite and gas burn on—stoking the dark hours with ancient carbon while the wind barely stirs. The grid groans under the weight of evening hunger, its veins swollen with imported current flowing from distant lands.
Generation mix
Wind onshore 13%
Wind offshore 3%
Solar 3%
Biomass 15%
Hydro 4%
Natural gas 20%
Hard coal 14%
Brown coal 28%
38%
Renewable share
4.6 GW
Wind (on + offshore)
1.0 GW
Solar
29.5 GW
Total generation
-19.7 GW
Net import
155.8 €/MWh
Day-ahead price
15.3°C / 10 km/h
Temp / Wind speed
Open-Meteo, Kassel (51.3°N 9.5°E)
100.0% / 5.0 W/m²
Cloud cover / Radiation
428
gCO₂/kWh
Image prompt
Brown coal 8.1 GW dominates the left third of the scene as a cluster of massive hyperbolic cooling towers with thick white-grey steam plumes rising into the dark sky, lit from below by sodium-orange industrial floodlights; natural gas 6.0 GW occupies the left-centre as two compact CCGT power blocks with tall single exhaust stacks emitting thin vapour trails, warmly lit by amber facility lighting; biomass 4.5 GW appears centre-right as a mid-sized industrial plant with a wood-chip conveyor and rectangular stack, glowing windows visible; hard coal 4.0 GW sits to the right as a classic coal-fired station with a single large rectangular cooling tower and coal bunker silhouette; wind onshore 3.9 GW is represented by a row of modern three-blade turbines on a distant ridge behind the power stations, their red aviation warning lights blinking in the darkness, rotors turning slowly; hydro 1.2 GW appears as a small concrete dam with spillway in the far right background, water reflecting facility lights; wind offshore 0.8 GW is suggested by tiny red blinking lights on the far horizon line; solar 1.0 GW is completely absent from the scene—no panels visible. The sky is entirely black-to-deep-navy, 100% cloud cover erasing all stars, no twilight glow whatsoever—it is fully nighttime at 20:00 in May. The atmosphere feels heavy and oppressive, reflecting a high electricity price—low haze hangs between the cooling towers, trapping the sodium-orange light in a murky industrial glow. Temperature is mild spring at 15.3°C: fresh green deciduous trees with full foliage line the foreground, grass is lush but muted in the artificial light. Light wind barely moves the tree canopy. A wide river in the foreground reflects the orange and white industrial lights with gentle ripples. Power transmission lines on lattice steel pylons stretch across the scene, symbolising the massive import flows. Highly detailed oil painting in the tradition of 19th-century German Romantic landscape painters—Caspar David Friedrich meets industrial sublime—rich deep colour palette of navy, charcoal, amber, and rust, visible impasto brushwork, dramatic atmospheric depth and chiaroscuro, meticulous engineering detail on every turbine nacelle, cooling tower, and exhaust stack. No text, no labels.
Grid data: 17 May 2026, 20:00 (Berlin time) · Generated 2026-05-17T18:20 UTC · Download image