PTF spread 2026: noon 300, evening 3,800 — how to read the bill and solar revenue

In summer 2026 the Turkish spot price cannot be decided from a “daily average PTF” alone. On 16 August 2026 the average was 2,502.89 TL/MWh, yet the same day the price ran between 303 and 3,800 TL/MWh — about 12.5 times. Midday solar crushes PTF; evening air-conditioning and industrial withdrawal send it to the ceiling. On SKTT and PTF+P contracts that spread hits the bill. For a producer who sells on PTF, noon 303 / evening 3,800 is a direct revenue line. In 5.1c and 5.1h netting, surplus sales are not PTF — they are the EPDK subscriber-group tariff. We separate that below. Our PTF glossary defines the hourly market; this article reads that definition with the 16 August numbers.

Classic “peak” is no longer the expensive hour

The same day’s 08:00–20:00 (“peak”) average was 1,674.75 TL/MWh; the off-peak average was 3,331.04 TL/MWh. The solar-saturated daytime band is cheaper than the old tariff peak; the expensive hours are evening and night. Demand (kW) is a separate line in our Contract Power and Peak Load guide — here the unit is TL/MWh. Do not mix them: power excess is kW, the PTF spread is TL/MWh.

Consumer: the same 500 kWh, same day, 12× gap

PTF only (YEKDEM and KBK excluded), 16 August example: withdrawing 500 kWh at 10:00–11:00 costs 500 × 0.303 = 151.50 TL. The same 500 kWh at 21:00–22:00 costs 500 × 3.80 = 1,900 TL. The gap is 1,748.50 TL — one hour, one day, one site. Our SKTT and Eligible Consumer 2026 guide adds YEKDEM and the 1.0938 coefficient; the spread does not close, it stacks.

PTF sales: midday loses value

On a PTF (or PTF-capped) sale, injecting 1 MWh of surplus at 10:00 that day brings 303 TL. Keeping that MWh on site and not buying 1 MWh from the grid at 21:00 avoids 3,800 TL. The opportunity is 3,497 TL/MWh — this reading is for PTF sales. In the post-10-year portfolio, sales sit under 11415 at 90% YEKDEM with an hourly PTF ceiling; when noon PTF is 303 the ceiling cuts the floor. See our 10-year unlicensed solar: 90% YEKDEM + PTF ceiling guide.

• At the same metering point (5.1c), midday self-consumption is the most valuable kWh, independent of the sales channel.
• For a PTF seller, selling the midday surplus and buying from the grid in the evening loses the spread twice.
• Distribution fees (withdrawal/injection) are a separate line; they add to the PTF spread, they do not replace it.
• BESS or a shift moves the 303 hour onto the 3,800 hour — that is the ROI logic in our BESS after Hourly Netting guide.

5.1c and 5.1h: EPDK tariff sales, netted kWh unbilled

In unlicensed generation, 5.1c (same meter) and 5.1h (separate meters) surplus sales are not settled on PTF; they are settled on the EPDK subscriber-group tariff. Our Hourly Netting 2026 guide and unlicensed solar energy-sales guide split energy from money. The 5.1c vs 5.1h feasibility note also splits metering and distribution. A noon PTF of 303 does not automatically set a tariff seller’s unit price to 303.

• Surplus sales unit: EPDK tariff (subscriber group) — not hourly PTF.
• Consumption netted in the same hour: no grid energy invoice line; that kWh is not billed as withdrawn.
• Net withdrawal (when generation is short): billed at your supply-contract unit (bilateral, SKTT or tariff).
• The supplier settles netted and sold energy in the market (often at PTF) — your sales unit and their cost need not match.

Netting must be read hour by hour

The 2026 netting system is not monthly generation minus monthly consumption. Each hour closes on its own: if generation covers consumption in that hour, no invoice line is created; if it falls short, net withdrawal is billed; if it exceeds, an EPDK tariff sale is written. Netting at 10:00 does not cover withdrawal at 21:00. The system must be watched every hour, not once a month. Our Hourly Netting 2026 guide has the energy rule; the difficulty is operational.

• A month is about 720 hours; each hour has its own generation, consumption, netting, sale and net-withdrawal line.
• A monthly Excel summary mixes midday tariff sales with evening billed withdrawal — the gap shows when the invoice arrives, too late.
• If OSOS, the meter and the invoice hour are not aligned to the same clock slot, netting is misread; a one-hour shift breaks the whole month.
• Across several sites or a mixed 5.1c + 5.1h portfolio, doing this by hand is not sustainable.

Reading checklist

• Download hourly PTF for the invoice period from EPİAŞ; do not stop at a daily or monthly average.
• Align OSOS hourly withdrawal and injection kWh to the same clock hour.
• If SKTT, use period (PTF+YEKDEM)×KBK; if spot+P, multiply hourly PTF × kWh line by line.
• Separate the sales channel: PTF / PTF cap, or 5.1c–5.1h EPDK tariff sales.
• Check the netting line for every hour; do not stop at a monthly total.
• If netted kWh has no invoice line, put the unit-price gap in writing with the supplier.
• Check contract power (kW) and reactive lines separately from PTF.

ENOPTIMAL: see the spread before the invoice

The ENOPTIMAL consumption-management module plots the OSOS hourly profile on the same axis as PTF. Our OSOS consumption monitoring page answers “in which hour are we buying expensive power?”; our electricity invoice tracking module compares the SKTT/bilateral unit price with expected PTF+YEKDEM. On the generation side, each hour’s netting / sale / net-withdrawal line sits on one panel — 720 rows are read automatically, not by hand.

Conclusion

16.08.2026 is not an outlier; it is the reading key for summer 2026: noon 303, evening 3,800, average 2,503. For the consumer the expensive hour is evening withdrawal, not classic peak. For a PTF seller the worthless hour is midday surplus; in 5.1c/5.1h the sale is the EPDK tariff and netted consumption is unbilled — the unit gap is a supplier conversation. Netting must be read every hour; a monthly total is not enough. Read Hourly Netting 2026 with that split. Stack OSOS, PTF and the tariff line in ENOPTIMAL.