Europe’s heatwave-driven power crunch faces eclipse fears as solar output could drop by 10 GW

[Financial News]  

Europe, already facing tight power supply and demand because of the heatwave, has been thrown into alarm. The fear is that the total solar eclipse scheduled for the 12th local time could disrupt solar power generation and make the power shortage even worse.

As the heatwave has forced nuclear and coal-fired power plants to shut down, Europe’s power shortage is deepening as hydroelectric generation is also being disrupted.
The Financial Times reported on the 8th local time, citing an announcement by the European Commission (EC), that France, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovenia have either shut down power plants or moved to restricted operations.
The reason is that lower river levels caused by high temperatures have reduced cooling water supplies for nuclear and coal-fired plants. Some European countries are importing electricity to keep their grids running.
According to the power analytics firm Abley Intelligence, Norway, a key electricity exporter in Europe, has also seen hydroelectric output fall to its lowest level in 30 years because of water shortages. Abley estimates there is less than a 1% chance that Norway’s water levels will return to normal before the new year.
Thomas Randgaard Larsen, co-founder of Abley, said the situation is "quite grim" and warned that "Europe does not seem prepared."

With power supply already tight, the total eclipse on Wednesday the 12th is expected to place a significant burden on Europe’s grid. In northern Spain and northeastern Portugal, the sun will be completely covered by the moon’s shadow, while more than 90% of the sun will also be obscured in the United Kingdom, France and northern Italy.
According to Red Eléctrica, Spain’s grid operator, the total eclipse could cut Spanish solar power output by as much as 5 gigawatts (GW). That would amount to 13% of the country’s typical peak electricity demand on an August Wednesday.
France’s RTE said the eclipse will peak between 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., and predicted that 9.7 GW of power generation will disappear across Europe during that period. Because it is summer, the sun sets around 9 p.m.

According to the EC, ENTSO-E, the association of European transmission system operators, has convened experts from each country to prepare for the eclipse and respond to potential shocks to the energy system.
ENTSO-E said that between 7:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., when the eclipse reaches its peak, power generation across Europe is expected to drop by 9.7 GW.
[email protected] Song Kyung-jae Reporter