Heat can cause power outages - Which countries are most exposed in Europe?
Europe's power grid is being tested as the continent experiences its third heatwave of the year. Forecasters are warning that temperatures could reach 43°C in the Mediterranean this week, as Western Europe braces for record-breaking heat.
Europe often experiences a surge in electricity use during heat waves due to a growing demand for cooling. In fact, space cooling, which consists mainly of air conditioning (AC) units and fans, consumed around seven percent of the world's electricity in 2022.
Price comparison website Compare the Market analyzed 85 countries, representing about 90 percent of global electricity consumption, to understand how demand changes during months with extreme temperatures. The study compared demand during the hottest 10 percent of months in each country with demand during months with normal temperatures.
The researchers found that Greece ranked first globally, with electricity demand increasing by 38.62 percent during periods of extreme heat. This equates to an additional 143.08 kWh per person per month of extreme heat. Montenegro ranked second, with demand increasing by 22.49 percent, followed by Turkey (21.91 percent), Croatia (17.76 percent), Italy (14.22 percent) and Spain (8.86 percent).
When the overall demand for electricity exceeds the available generation capacity or the physical limits of the electrical grid, this can cause the electrical frequency of the system to drop - causing a power outage.
Using available outage data for the last five years, Compare the Market also analysed the average duration and estimated cost of power outages for households in the selected countries. Among the European countries analysed, Hungary recorded the longest average duration of outages, at 2.92 hours per year, followed by Slovenia at 2.16 hours and Greece at 1.63 hours.
Power outages in Italy are estimated to cost households around €154.7 million per year, followed by Poland at €152.1 million. However, record solar power production in the EU helped keep energy supplies stable amid rising demand.
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