The once-in-a-century heat wave is sweeping Europe. The United Kingdom has declared a state of emergency. The temperature in the western French city of Nantes reached 42 degrees Celsius on July 18, setting a new record.

Germany set a record for solar photovoltaic power generation on Sunday, and a repeat of that is expected in the coming days amid a harsh heatwave across Western Europe, according to Bloomberg.

The news site reported that Germany's solar panel production surpassed 38,174MWh on Sunday and is expected to hit a new high on Tuesday, when it could reach 38,190MWh.

This is up from about 32,000MWh on Saturday. According to the European Energy Exchange (EEX), Germany has not generated more than the 35,000MWh mark on a single day in the past year, with the closest point being the European heatwave in March.

According to EEX data, at 12 noon on July 18, Germany’s solar energy system power generation peaked at 34,222MWh, below the estimated value of 34,352MWh.

A devastating heatwave is currently spreading across western Europe. Wildfires have been reported across much of France and Spain, while the UK looks set to set its record temperature of over 40C on Tuesday.

Temperatures in Germany peak on Tuesday or Wednesday, and the warm air will also slow wind power production. That sent electricity prices in Germany to €396.07/MWh ($400.27/MWh), which Bloomberg said was the highest level on the European Power Exchange spot market since March.

European power purchase agreement prices have surged a staggering 47% year-on-year as the continent's energy crisis persists, but PPA prices remain "attractive" as wholesale electricity prices remain high. European Q2 solar quotations rose 19.1%! PPA up 47%

Germany already has more than a third of the European Union's installed solar capacity, and the recently elected coalition government is committed to accelerating the decarbonization of Germany's power sector while reducing energy imports. In the next decade, Germany will accelerate photovoltaic development.