Solar Power and Batteries Have Been Keeping Europe's Grid Stable (euronews.com)
- Reference: 0185034110
- News link: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/26/08/18/0728240/solar-power-and-batteries-have-been-keeping-europes-grid-stable
- Source link: https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/14/the-real-challenge-starts-after-sundown-europes-heatwave-boosted-solar-by-up-to-17-on-hot-
> "Solar has been doing the 'heavy lifting' to [2]help Europe meet its energy needs amid a string of blistering heatwaves ," Euronews tells us. Meanwhile, as Europe's energy demands rise with the heat, jellyfish have been [3]causing shutdowns and reduced power output at multiple reactors at French nuclear plants, as [4]we already discussed .
Euronews reports:
> A new analysis from energy think-tank Ember found that solar output in European countries rose by up to 17 percent on heatwave days in June and July. Researchers say that this 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 due to the sudden need for cooling, mainly from energy-intensive air conditioning (A/C) units.
>
> The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that space cooling, which is mostly A/C units and fans, consumed around seven percent of the world's electricity in 2022. Even in countries where A/C ownership is low, countries experience energy demand spikes when scorching temperatures hit. During the early summer heatwaves of 2025, France, for example, recorded an evening electricity peak that was 25 percent above the off-season average due to air conditioning.
>
> Ember's analysis found that during the late-June heatwave this summer, daily electricity demand rose byup to 28 percent in Italy, 23 percent in Hungary, 14 percent in France and 13 percent in Spain compared with pre-heatwave days. It says as heatwave-driven demand increased, solar was the only major power source to perform "better than usual." Compared with other days in June and July, average daily solar generation during the heatwaves was 17 percent higher in France and Hungary, five percent higher in Spain and the same in Italy.
[1] https://slashdot.org/~AleRunner
[2] https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/14/the-real-challenge-starts-after-sundown-europes-heatwave-boosted-solar-by-up-to-17-on-hot-
[3] https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2026/08/11/jellyfish-force-shutdown-of-three-reactors-at-french-nuclear-plant_6756372_7.html
[4] https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/26/08/15/2231253/how-swarming-jellyfish-overran-three-french-nuclear-power-reactors
pay for the environment (Score:2)
It just seems like anything that is or runs on "green energy" is about twice as expensive as it should be for what it is. It's like you are being asked to literally pay from your wallet to help the environment and most can't afford it. It seems like it won't end well until the people who can afford to pay more actually do.
Re: (Score:3)
Nope. Solar panels and batteries are so ridiculously cheap now that people complain they can't install them in their rented flats and all the spoils go to the people who have their own roofs to put them on. We're talking about two to three years until you've made back the cost of your own solar and it's a decade or more of basically free electricity after that. With electric cars making inroads in Europe, there's also no reason to stop: Just keep adding panels and batteries to save more money. The economics
Re: pay for the environment (Score:2)
Maybe where you live. It's ten years to payback where I am. Also the whole 'pay now save later' only works for people with money in the first place.
Re: (Score:2)
If you let out apartments and houses, you're also going to have to make your properties "greener', or you get penalized in some way. For instance in Belgium you can't raise rent with inflation unless your property reaches a certain level of compliance.
Also new buildings have to be compliant anyway. So the benefits are trickling down. I do believe that some of these benefits should go to the people renting, not just the proprietor.
But you are right in that poor people don't have the money to spend on these t
Re: pay for the environment (Score:2)
Ok well when I can get a long range EV for the same price as an ICE I'll let you know.
Re: (Score:2)
As I have paid 300 Euros for a pair of solar panels and a rectifier back in March, and despite the panels not being optimally mounted (straight upright, facing Southwest, and partly in the shadow from nearby trees), I harvested already 200 kWh as of today, I am pretty sure, "green energy" is not about twice as expensive as it should be. Even a badly mounted setup will return the investment in less than five years.
Fingers crossed for no more blackouts (Score:2)
That blackout from last year in Spain and Portugal was embarrassing and destructive to the lives of those who experienced it.
A good test (Score:2)
As it turns out this has been a real world Disaster Recovery test for Europe's energy supply.
Once production is local via wind, solar etc Europe doesn't need to worry - from a strictly energy security perspective - if the orange baboon bombs some oil country.
While renewable power is proving itself in practice Trump wants to reshire manufacturing...EXCEPT for energy production it seems as he's reducing clean energy projects.
Europe must keep diversifying it's energy supply. Russia turning off gas, US me
Well (Score:2)
It's a solid start, but it still leaves plenty of room for improvement in light of advances like sodium batteries for grid storage to always fill up reserves when there's an oversupply. And generating green hydrogen for industrial use off that will become even more important in the decades to come too.
We're doing okay against the best effort of some (Score:2)
Malding anti-environmentalists are welcome to disconnect from the grid
Re: (Score:2)
Idd, they should just buy the dirtiest second hand oversized diesel generator you can find. Start it up, cause a smoke trail that is visible from miles away and make your point. If that makes you happy man, go for it!
I bet there is even a market for "a clean coal powered home generator." Add a drawing of Trump doing a thumbs up and a wink for extra effect... and extra cash. Paint it gold so that everyone can see you have one...
Re: (Score:2)
You should reflect on which political group pushed for many many years the solar panels advocated in the article against many, if not all political, opponents who denied $/kwh from PV was a matter of scale and investment and praised fossil or nuclear...
Re: (Score:2)
Oops.
I realize I misunderstood your point, 'malding' was beyond my english level. Apologies.