An aerial view of solar panels among charred trees, as a wildfire burns on the island of Rhodes, Greece July 27, 2023. REUTERS/Nicolas Economou/File PhotoMore solar helps meet energy demand for coolingBRUSSELS/LONDON, Aug 7 - 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.
Spain and Greece are among the countries that have installed many more solar panels in the face of record high energy prices last year and the quest for increased energy security linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. When soaring temperatures and demand for cooling led to a peak in Sicilian power demand on July 24, nearly half of the excess demand - which totalled 1.3 GW - was covered by solar, Refinitiv data show. Sicily's solar production last month was more than double that of July 2022.
Even in cooler and less sunny western countries such as Belgium, solar energy has covered more than 100% of the extra energy needed during midday spikes in power demand.Despite its fast growth, solar is still a relatively small share of the power mix in most countries, where sources including wind, gas, coal and nuclear power typically cover the bulk of demand over the year.
Extreme heat this summer has broken through this trend at times. But overall, demand has been below normal - Italy's average hourly power use in July was 4.4% lower than in July 2022, while Spain's was down by 3.6%, Refinitiv data show.
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