Electricity 3 times more expensive due to 'dunkelflaute': barely any wind and sun, and then Tihange 3 goes offline for a while

In recent days, electricity wholesale prices surged to 540 euros per MWh, three times higher than last year, due to a lack of wind and sun, termed 'dunkelflaute'. The unexpected outage of the Tihange 3 nuclear reactor forced Belgium to rely heavily on expensive gas power plants for nearly half of its electricity. Solar and wind energy production dropped significantly, with solar panels generating only a fraction of their potential. Battery storage, while available, could not compensate for the loss of renewable energy. The situation highlights the vulnerability of Belgium's energy supply during periods of low renewable output, leading to increased reliance on costly and polluting energy sources.