Electricity demand in southern Europe to soar with air con – scientists

Study predicts power consumption to rise with hotter temperatures, increasing need for renewable sources, while northern Europe's demand may fall

Demand for electricity is set to soar in southern Europe as climate change takes hold, research has revealed, with the effect likely to be down to a boom in the use of air conditioning.

By contrast, electricity demand is expected to drop in northern countries, leading to an increasingly polarised pattern across the continent - a situation, the researchers say, that bolsters the case for greater integration of electricity supplies across Europe, particularly given the shift to renewable energies.