Europe’s summer of record solar power saves billions of dollars

A solar power plant in France with 572 photovoltaic panels generates 11,400MWh, which is equivalent to the consumption of 4,500 homes. — AFP

LONDON: The European Union (EU) saw a record-amount of solar power generation this summer, saving the continent from even higher reliance on expensive fossil fuels amid the worst energy crisis in decades.

Solar panels produced about 12% of the EU’s electricity from May to August, power that would have cost as much as €29bil (US$28.9bil or RM130bil) had it been produced by natural gas-burning plants, according to analysis from climate think-tank Ember.