Extreme heat persists, power demand surges, and Europe's power system faces another "grilling" test.

        Recently, southern European countries such as Greece and Italy have been hit by extreme high - temperature weather, with the maximum temperature even exceeding 43 degrees Celsius. Many countries have issued the highest - level high - temperature warnings. Under the scorching heat, the electricity demand in European countries has soared. Many power grid institutions have issued "warnings", and several cities in Italy have also experienced short - term power outages due to insufficient power supply. In the hot summer, can Europe's energy and power system pass this "test by fire"?
High temperatures lead to a surge in electricity consumption
        Data from the World Meteorological Organization shows that this summer, the average temperature in Europe has risen significantly compared with previous years, and high - temperature phenomena have also occurred in regions such as North America and North Africa. Taking France as an example, the French meteorological agency issued a red high - temperature warning in early July, and the temperature in many places exceeded 40 degrees Celsius, breaking the historical record.
Analysis suggests that climate change has made heatwaves more frequent, and the severity of extreme weather on all continents around the world is gradually increasing.
        Against this background, the usage of cooling equipment such as air conditioners in many European countries has skyrocketed, and the electricity consumption of residents, businesses, and industrial users has soared. The Greek power grid institution IPTO said that on July 22, the country's electricity load reached a new high this summer, reaching 10,080 megawatts at noon. In the next few days, the electricity demand may continue to grow due to the high temperature, and it may even exceed 10,410 megawatts at most. Greek Energy Minister Papastavrou held an emergency meeting with the country's power grid and distribution network operators, demanding to ensure a stable power supply in the face of surging demand.
        In early July, several Italian cities including Rome experienced short - term power outages, affecting households, businesses, and even traffic lights. Italian energy supplier Enel later said that the power outage might be "related to the hot weather", as the "overheating" of the wires caused malfunctions.
According to data from market research firm Ember, this summer's heatwaves have led to a significant increase in the daily electricity demand of European countries. The electricity demand in Germany has increased by 6%, in France by 9%, and in Spain by 14%. The growth rate of electricity demand is even more obvious during peak hours.
Power supply and demand face a "mismatch"
        Judging from the fluctuations in electricity demand, afternoons and nights are the peak periods when cooling equipment such as air conditioners operate at high loads, which means that afternoons to nights are the periods when electricity consumption in European countries surges. However, the peak power - generation periods of renewable energy sources, represented by photovoltaics, are mostly concentrated during the day. Many industry research institutions have pointed out that there is an obvious "mismatch" between the supply and demand of the European power system, increasing the pressure on the stable operation of the power grid.
Statistics show that in the second quarter of this year, the solar power generation in Europe reached a record high of 104.4 terawatt - hours. In June, photovoltaic power generation became the largest power source in the EU for the first time. Under the extreme heatwaves during the same period, in early July, nuclear power operators in France and Switzerland announced that they would shut down some reactors due to the rising temperature of the cooling water, resulting in a decline in nuclear power generation. Meanwhile, as European countries are accelerating the phasing - out of coal - fired power generation, the shortage of flexible power sources has led to a short - term power supply shortage.
        Overall, the European power grid system cannot "absorb" the surging photovoltaic power generation. During the peak photovoltaic power - generation periods, the duration of "negative electricity prices" in the power markets of almost all European countries has increased, and the duration of "negative electricity prices" in many countries' power markets has repeatedly hit new highs. Data from research firm Montel Analytics shows that in the first half of the year, the duration of "negative electricity prices" in many countries such as Spain, the Netherlands, and Sweden exceeded 300 hours, with the maximum duration reaching 506 hours.
During peak electricity consumption periods, electricity prices have also repeatedly hit new highs. According to Ember data, taking the electricity price on June 24 as the baseline, during the heatwave from the end of June to early July, the average daily electricity price in Spain increased by 15%, in Poland by 106%, and in France by 108%. On the night of July 1, the electricity price in Germany during the peak consumption period even exceeded 400 euros per megawatt - hour.
        Montel Analytics pointed out that the hot weather in most parts of Europe has pushed up electricity demand, and the energy system is under great pressure. Compared with the "negative electricity prices" during the day, electricity prices at night often skyrocket. The continuous high - temperature weather is disrupting the demand pattern of the power system and the power - generation level of renewable energy, and the supply - demand balance of the power grid is being challenged.
The resilience of the power grid is tested again
        Affected by the increasing risk of mismatch between power supply and demand, the European natural gas market has also fluctuated. Masanori Odaka, a senior analyst in the natural gas and LNG markets at Rystad Energy, pointed out that in July this year, the temperatures in major European cities were higher than the average of the past 20 years. Although the natural gas production in Norway showed a slight upward trend, the LNG price in north - western Europe has been rising since the end of June.
According to the prediction of the World Meteorological Organization, the climate change challenges faced by Europe and the world are becoming increasingly severe. By 2050, it is estimated that half of the European population will be at high or extremely high risk of being exposed to heatwaves. The impact on southern Europe will be particularly obvious, and the frequency of extreme weather in other parts of Europe may also continue to increase.
        Affected by this, the industry generally believes that improving infrastructure and enhancing the resilience of the power grid will be important measures for Europe to cope with future extreme - weather risks. Boston Consulting Group pointed out in its latest report that the European energy system has a large number of renewable energy installations. However, without investment and innovation in power grid infrastructure, the power grid will not be able to keep up with the pace of installation, and it will be difficult for renewable electricity to reach end - consumers.
        In the view of researchers at Montel Analytics, a series of factors such as the limitations of power grid infrastructure and insufficient cross - border power transmission in Europe have exacerbated the fluctuations in power supply and demand. In the future, the importance of reasonably matching power supply and demand will become more prominent. To meet the peak electricity demand at night, it is necessary to supplement the fossil - fuel power generation in a timely manner, improve the flexibility of the power grid system, and at the same time, accelerate the construction of supporting systems for renewable energy. Energy - storage assets are expected to achieve profits from the huge price difference. In addition, Europe should also consider increasing flexibility on the demand side and regulate electricity demand through price mechanisms.
        Ember emphasized that the huge electricity - price difference during extreme heatwaves demonstrates the importance of battery energy storage, reliable clean power sources, and power grid interconnection. At the same time, innovative technologies such as distributed renewable energy technologies and grid - forming technologies are also expected to become effective solutions to deal with power grid challenges.