BRUSSELS/LONDON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - A major increase in solar power generation in southern Europe played a leading role in averting energy shortages during the heatwaves of recent weeks when temperatures broke records and drove unprecedented demand for air conditioning.
Solar power is particularly suited to coping with summer heat as the sun’s radiation is strongest around the hottest part of the day, when electricity demand for cooling is also at its highest.
“The very significant growth in solar basically compensates for the peaks that are caused by air conditioning,” Kristian Ruby, secretary general of electricity industry group Eurelectric, said of the situation in Spain.
“Without the additional solar, the system stability impact would have turned out much worse,” Refinitiv power analyst Nathalie Gerl said.
Catania, below Mount Etna in eastern Sicily, has faced power and water supply cuts that local officials blamed in part on the heat.
In a letter to the European Commission last week, industry groups including SolarPower Europe urged policymakers to speed up investments in energy grids and promote projects that couple solar with energy storage, to ensure solar power expands quickly enough to meet climate change goals.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
BRUSSELS/LONDON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - A major increase in solar power generation in southern Europe played a leading role in averting energy shortages during the heatwaves of recent weeks when temperatures broke records and drove unprecedented demand for air conditioning.
Solar power is particularly suited to coping with summer heat as the sun’s radiation is strongest around the hottest part of the day, when electricity demand for cooling is also at its highest.
“The very significant growth in solar basically compensates for the peaks that are caused by air conditioning,” Kristian Ruby, secretary general of electricity industry group Eurelectric, said of the situation in Spain.
“Without the additional solar, the system stability impact would have turned out much worse,” Refinitiv power analyst Nathalie Gerl said.
Catania, below Mount Etna in eastern Sicily, has faced power and water supply cuts that local officials blamed in part on the heat.
In a letter to the European Commission last week, industry groups including SolarPower Europe urged policymakers to speed up investments in energy grids and promote projects that couple solar with energy storage, to ensure solar power expands quickly enough to meet climate change goals.
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