Drought in Europe Has Hit Power Production

High temperatures and severe drought across Europe this summer are affecting hydro, nuclear and solar power generation. Europe's hydropower output in the first seven months of this year was 20% lower than in the same period last year, while nuclear output was 12% lower, according to figures from Rustad Energy, a Norwegian consultancy.

Higher temperatures lead to higher evaporation and lower water levels in rivers, lakes and reservoirs, with hydropower bearing the brunt. In Italy, for example, hydropower accounts for 20 per cent of the country's electricity production, but its output has plunged 40 per cent in the past 12 months. Hydropower production in Spain plunged by 44%.

Fabian Loningen, an energy analyst, said that while hydropower production was volatile, the 40 percent drop was "extreme" and not just in some regions, but in all of Europe's big hydropower countries.

Energy exporter Norway has warned it may have to stop exporting energy to countries such as Britain if water levels in its reservoirs do not rise.

Some hydropower industry experts say underinvestment in hydropower infrastructure and aging transmission lines are also contributing to the decline.

"We are going to have a problem this winter," said Eddie Ritchie, an expert with the International Hydropower Association. This should be a wake-up call [to us] to invest more in infrastructure in the coming years."

The drought has also affected nuclear power, particularly in France. Edf has cut production at several of its nuclear plants in recent days as warmer natural waters affect the water used to cool reactors.

Professor Sonia Senaviratne of ETH Zurich explained that if the water level in the river is too low and the water temperature is too high, the cooling of the reactor must be stopped, otherwise the discharged water will endanger the life in the river.

The French government on Friday tasked a crisis response task force to coordinate the work of various departments to deal with the drought. "This is the worst drought on record in France," said a statement from the prime minister's office.

High temperature weather is also not conducive to solar power generation, because the photovoltaic panel "afraid of sunlight", high temperature will lead to power loss of the panel, the service life is shortened.

Catherine Porter, a consultant at energy consultancy Wat-Logic, said the amount of electricity produced by photovoltaic panels drops significantly when temperatures rise above 25C and "everything works worse when temperatures are high".