A hot heatwave in June and July pushed temperatures above 40°C across Europe, putting a lot of pressure on traditional power systems. But solar energy proved to be reliable during this time. The European Union produced a record amount of solar power in June, which is 45 terawatt-hours, 22% more than what was generated in June 2024.
In Germany, solar power reached a high of 50 GW, supplying around one-third of the country’s electricity on many hot days.
This strong supply of clean energy was supported by 14 GW of batteries and 10 GW of pumped hydro storage. That will help to store extra solar energy, which can be used in the evening. This was important to keep the electricity supply system stable.
At the same time, thermal power plants, including nuclear plants in France, had trouble working in the extreme heat.
Their cooling systems did not work well, and 17 out of 18 nuclear reactors in France had to reduce their power. In total, 23 GW of nuclear power was lost, with 7 GW being forced to shut down.
In Italy, there were also power cuts because transmission lines got too hot and thermal plants were under too much pressure.
Electricity demand during the heatwave, by 6% in Germany and 14% in France, which made the situation even worse.
However, the strong sunlight during this time gave a clear solution. Pawel Czyzak from the think tank Ember said that heatwaves bring plenty of sunshine, and the best way to use it is by storing solar power to keep air conditioners running into the evening.
This heatwave highlights a critical opportunity that integrating solar power, storage technologies, smart grid flexibility, and interconnectivity into long-term energy planning is important because of the rising extreme weather events demand stronger and more adaptable power systems.
Source
https://qz.com/1348969/europes-heatwave-is-forcing-nuclear-power-plants-to-shut-down
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