As Europe grapples with scorching heatwaves, a new analysis from energy think-tank Ember reveals that solar power output across European countries surged by up to 17 per cent on heatwave days this year. These extreme weather events, which scientists state would have been virtually impossible without climate change, highlight the escalating global crisis driving displacement, yet Europe's energy response remains narrowly focused on internal grid stability.
Researchers at Ember found this extra generation helped power the grid as electricity demand increased by as much as a quarter on hot days. Heatwaves often trigger a spike in electricity consumption because of the sudden need for cooling, primarily from energy-intensive air conditioning units. The International Energy Agency estimates that space cooling consumed around seven per cent of the world’s electricity in 2022. Even in countries with low air conditioning ownership, energy demand spikes occur when scorching temperatures hit. France, for instance, recorded an evening electricity peak last year that was 25 per cent above the off-season average due to air conditioning use during early summer heatwaves.
Ember’s analysis found that during the late-June heatwave this summer, daily electricity demand rose by up to 28 per cent in Italy, 23 per cent in Hungary, 14 per cent in France, and 13 per cent in Spain compared with pre-heatwave days. Solar was the only major power source to perform better than usual as heatwave-driven demand increased. Compared with other days in June and July, average daily solar generation during the heatwaves was 17 per cent higher in France and Hungary, five per cent higher in Spain, and remained the same in Italy.
The Unseen Costs of Climate Inaction
Senior energy analyst Chris Rosslowe noted that while solar is "already doing heavy lifting during heatwaves," the "real challenge starts after sundown." He explained that in the evening, when cooling demand remains high, "the grid is most exposed to expensive gas-fired power." This continued reliance on fossil fuels, even as Europe experiences the direct consequences of climate breakdown, underscores a systemic failure to transition fully away from the drivers of global warming and displacement.
Europe’s back-to-back heatwaves, directly linked by scientists to climate change, have triggered mass droughts across the continent. Low water levels along the Danube River forced nuclear output to be curtailed in Hungary. Experts warned that hydropower neared an all-time low in the Alpine region. Fossil-fuelled energy has also suffered from the drought, with Poland forced to reduce output at a coal-fired power plant because of critically low water levels in the Vistula River. These impacts demonstrate the immediate and widespread effects of a crisis that disproportionately affects the Global South, driving migration that Europe then seeks to contain rather than address at its source.
The late-June and early-July heatwaves this summer also saw average daily electricity prices surge. Prices rose 119 per cent higher in Hungary, 44 per cent in France, 13 per cent in Italy, and seven per cent in Spain than on comparable days in the preceding weeks. These price hikes burden working-class households already struggling with the cost of living, while the underlying climate crisis continues to intensify.
Fortress Europe's Narrow Vision
Experts said the price surge underlined the need for battery storage systems, which can prevent excess solar energy from being wasted. Rosslowe stated, "While solar saves the day, battery storage can save the evening." He added that together, "they are one of the clearest ways to make Europe’s power system more resilient in the hotter summers." As solar output rises during heatwaves and other power sources struggle, storage can carry that cheap electricity into the evening. This focus on technological fixes for internal grid stability, however, sidesteps the broader climate justice imperative and the human cost of a warming planet. The continent prioritizes its own energy infrastructure while the global climate crisis, a primary driver of forced migration, continues unabated.