Heatwaves and power peaks: Analyzing Croatia's record electricity consumption in July 2024

This study investigates the unprecedented electricity consumption in Croatia, which was driven by an intense heatwave in July 2024. Daytime temperatures consistently exceeded 30 °C, and the intense tourist season caused air conditioning usage to skyrocket. The previously recorded maximum from August 2023 was surpassed on several occasions during July 2024. In the evening hours of July 17, 2024, a new record high demand of 3381 MW was recorded. More troublesome, in the hours of high demand, about 50% of the electricity had to be imported because domestic power plants could not generate the entire demand. As a consequence, electricity prices went up to 480 EUR/MWh, four times the daily average price in Croatia. In response to power peaks and increased electricity imports, Croatia has intensified efforts to expand the share of renewable energy in the electricity mix. From 44.8% in 2020, the share of renewables increased to 58.5% in 2023. This marks a significant increase, mostly driven by the expansion of the wind and solar markets. However, as of 2023, Croatia's per capita electricity generation from wind and solar PV combined was 676 kWh per person, which is only about half the EU-27 average (1410 kWh per capita). Croatia and Southern Europe alike will continue to experience hotter summers, and power systems will have to handle higher peak loads. As the energy system transitions to a larger share of renewables, power grid flexibility will become crucial. Flexible power generation could be used to fill gaps in the renewable output. Pumped hydro and batteries could store excess renewable energy and release it during demand peaks. Demand response is another option, as shifting electricity usage to periods when wind and solar generation are high could help adapt to their intermittent nature.