Long-Term Index May 2018

• Once again significantly above-average wind and solar power production
• May 2018 clearly too warm with some heavy thunderstorms

Karlsruhe, June 7, 2018. According to UBIMET, wind energy was above average last May at 7,321 GWh and ranked 5th* overall. The most profitable May of the last 40 years was in 2006 at 9,475 GWh with the currently installed wind power.

Solar power reached position 16 at 5,158 GWh, compared to the past 40 months of May. The highest revenue so far would have been generated in May 2016 at 5,932 GWh*.

In total, 12,479 GWh power was generated from wind and solar energy, thus reaching rank 6 – according to the UBIMET long-term index. The most productive May was in 2006 with 14,425 GWh* – same as with wind energy.

Overall, May 2018 in Germany was significantly too warm and only partially wet. The result was regionally violent thunderstorms with heavy rain, hail and storm gusts, hitting the middle and southern half of Germany. It was extremely dry in the Baltic Sea region. Here, a considerable amount of sunshine hours were registered – at parts more than 150 percent of the long-term mean. Despite the comparatively high wind power production, no stormy weather conditions were registered in May. Even in the mountains, only a few days recorded gusts of force 8 or higher. Along with the thunderstorms came stronger gusts of wind time and again.

* The UBIMET long-term index compares the solar and wind energy production yields. The UBIMET experts calculate the respective yields for each month of the last 39 years and compare them to the current values. Every yield ist related to the current German portfolio so that the periods can be compared.