Why are some prices negative?

Because switching a large thermal plant off and on again can cost more than selling power at a loss. When wind output is high and demand is low, the auction clears below zero and generators pay to keep running. It is a real market outcome, not an error, so the saver draws those hours below the zero line.

Is this the price I pay at home?

No. This is the wholesale day-ahead auction price in euros per megawatt-hour. A household tariff adds network charges, levies and tax on top, and most households are on a fixed rate that averages these hours out.

Yes. It comes from aWATTar's public market data endpoint, which republishes the EPEX SPOT day-ahead auction result. Nothing is invented or simulated, and if the source cannot be reached the saver reports that instead of drawing something plausible.

Does it cost anything or need an account?

No. Every screensaver here is free, runs in the browser and needs no sign-up. This one uses a public API that requires no key.

German Power Prices Screensaver

The German Power Prices screensaver plots the next 24 hours of German electricity prices from the day-ahead auction, in euros per megawatt-hour, read live from aWATTar with no key. Prices dip through the middle of the day when solar output peaks and spike into the evening. Negative hours — when generators pay to keep running — are drawn below the zero line rather than clamped away. It runs in the browser with nothing to install; press ESC to exit.

How the German Power Prices screensaver works

The saver reads aWATTar's public market data endpoint, which republishes the EPEX SPOT day-ahead auction result.

No account and no key: the request goes straight from your browser, or from this site's own refreshed copy of the feed where the source does not allow browser access.

Values are drawn on a canvas that resizes with the window, so it works on a laptop or a wall display.

If the source is unreachable the saver says so on screen rather than showing stale numbers as though they were current.

A worked example

The chart shows 24 bars, one per hour, with a zero line across the middle. Around midday the bars shrink toward it as solar floods the grid; by 19:00 they are at their tallest. The hour running right now is drawn in gold. On a windy, low-demand night one or two bars drop below the line in blue — those are hours that cleared at a negative price, meaning generators paid to keep producing because shutting down and restarting costs more than the loss.

Settings & tips

Accent and Background recolour the display without changing the data.
Add it to a Multi-view grid to watch it alongside other live savers.
Press ESC at any time to leave fullscreen.

Frequently asked questions

Why are some prices negative?: Because switching a large thermal plant off and on again can cost more than selling power at a loss. When wind output is high and demand is low, the auction clears below zero and generators pay to keep running. It is a real market outcome, not an error, so the saver draws those hours below the zero line.
Is this the price I pay at home?: No. This is the wholesale day-ahead auction price in euros per megawatt-hour. A household tariff adds network charges, levies and tax on top, and most households are on a fixed rate that averages these hours out.
Is this real data?: Yes. It comes from aWATTar's public market data endpoint, which republishes the EPEX SPOT day-ahead auction result. Nothing is invented or simulated, and if the source cannot be reached the saver reports that instead of drawing something plausible.
Does it cost anything or need an account?: No. Every screensaver here is free, runs in the browser and needs no sign-up. This one uses a public API that requires no key.

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