Europe’s recent run of extreme heat has pushed its electricity systems into uncharted territory, with soaring air-conditioning use driving summer demand to match or even surpass winter peaks in some countries.
Prof Jan Rosenow, who leads the Energy Programme at the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford, said this shift marks a “massive change” for the continent’s power networks, which have historically faced their greatest strain in cold months. As summers continue to get hotter, he warned, peak demand patterns could flip entirely — a challenge that will require new planning, infrastructure resilience, and greater investment in storage to avoid blackouts and price spikes.
Prof Rosenow was speaking to The Financial Times. Read the full article: Europe’s electricity system tested by heatwaves as air-conditioning use soars
