Odaily Planet Daily reports: Wu Jihan posted on X that Europe’s current solar energy issue is no longer about increasing power generation, but rather a lack of sufficient flexible electricity demand to absorb excess energy. He cited the latest analysis from energy research firm Pexapark, stating that Europe’s solar “self-cannibalization” phenomenon is rapidly worsening:
1. In France, the solar capture factor in April 2026 decreased year-over-year from approximately 0.42 to 0.10, a decline of about 75%, with nearly half of solar power generation occurring during negative price periods;
2. In Germany, negative electricity prices occurred for 123 hours in April, a 65% year-over-year increase, with approximately 46.8% of solar power generation operating within negative price zones;
3. The issue in Spain is no longer limited to summer; the solar capture factor dropped sharply from approximately 0.71 a year earlier to 0.18 in February 2026, while the duration of negative electricity prices rose from 0 hours to 148 hours.
Wu Jihan pointed out that this indicates the pace of solar deployment in Europe has outstripped the development of grid flexibility. In addition to energy storage, grid expansion, and demand response, Europe should also prioritize interruptible loads, including Bitcoin mining and other computational workloads. These loads can be activated when electricity is abundant and shut down during periods of grid stress, serving as the "last buyers" of excess renewable energy, reducing curtailment, improving the profitability of photovoltaic projects, and enhancing the financial viability and funding potential of power generation and grid infrastructure investments.