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Europe Eclipse Cuts Solar, Heatwave Sparks Deaths, Wildfires

8/11/2026

49 12 Full Breakdown

Summary

Europe Power Loss

Spain will lose 5 GW of solar power during Wednesday’s eclipse, about 13 % of demand.
France’s RTE projects a 9.3 GW drop in generation across Europe for about two hours around 7:30 p.m.
The United Kingdom could see a 1.3 GW solar loss during the eclipse.
Drought forced three French nuclear reactors offline and nearly shut Hungary’s 2 GW Paks plant.
Romania diverted Danube water with explosives to keep its Cernavoda nuclear plant operating.

Summary

Europe Faces Heatwave

Europe endured unprecedented heat in 2026, pushing the year toward the hottest on record, Copernicus says.
France logged its hottest day on June 23 at 44.3 °C in the southwest and 5,700 excess deaths in June.
The United Kingdom recorded more than 2,800 excess heat-related deaths during the May-June heatwaves.
A historic wildfire in southwestern France forced 220,000 evacuations, one of the continent’s largest since World War II.

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Europe Power Loss

Spain will lose 5 GW of solar power during Wednesday’s eclipse, about 13 % of demand.
France’s RTE projects a 9.3 GW drop in generation across Europe for about two hours around 7:30 p.m.
The United Kingdom could see a 1.3 GW solar loss during the eclipse.
Drought forced three French nuclear reactors offline and nearly shut Hungary’s 2 GW Paks plant.
Romania diverted Danube water with explosives to keep its Cernavoda nuclear plant operating.

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