Future energy demand for cooling is expected to increase more in southern EU countries, such as Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
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Portugal is a "good example" in the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, according to a new report. But it could be one of the countries that, in the future, spends the most on cooling its homes.
The report, released this Monday by the European Environment Agency and initially quoted by the Lusa news agency, says that Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain could consume 71 per cent of the total annual energy for cooling purposes in residential buildings in the EU due to global warming in the future.
Emphasising that the "climate risks to energy security" arising from climate change "vary across Europe", it points out that southern Europe faces increasing risks from heat, droughts and water scarcity, while northern Europe is likely to face both risks and opportunities.
Cooling is one of Europe's 'main climate risks'
The European Environment Agency report lists increased demand for cooling as one of the "main climate risks" for the European energy system.
It projects that future energy demand for cooling is expected to increase more in the southern EU countries, such as Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
Looking at recent years, the report also notes that "the amount of final energy used for cooling purposes in residential buildings tripled between 2010 and 2019" in 19 European countries.
Other potential threats to EU countries are "the regional reduction in hydroelectric potential due to lower water availability, the lower efficiency of thermal power stations and electricity transmission, and the impacts of extreme weather events on energy infrastructure".
In this context, the European Environment Agency explains that these other climate-related risks - such as floods, storms or forest fires - "can damage energy production and transmission infrastructures and disrupt energy supply".
Once again, southern Europe could be more prone to episodes of power cuts, due to "prolonged droughts that affect electricity supply, combined with heatwaves that affect peak demand" for energy.
Portugal listed as a 'good example' of renewable energy transition
In 2023, renewable energy sources accounted for 24.5 per cent of the EU's final energy consumption, the report says.
It outlines how this "all-time high" was "driven by EU policies to accelerate the transition to clean energy", such as the REPowerEU plan and the "Fit for 55" legislative package.
This figure, however, still falls well short of the "minimum target" set at European level - 42.5 per cent by 2030 - which will require a "profound transformation of the European energy system".
It cites Portugal as a "good example of the progress made in the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies" and in the decarbonisation process.
"The country has almost doubled the share of renewable energies in its final energy consumption, from 19 per cent in 2004 to 35 per cent in 2023," The European Environment Agency states.
Last year, renewable energies supplied more than 73 per cent of Portugal's energy mix, enabling the country to position itself as "one of the pioneers in Europe's energy transition". This change, the report explains, "was driven by the expansion of hydroelectric, wind and solar energy".
"Portugal has invested heavily in additional hydropower and wind energy since the early 2000s. In recent years, it has rapidly increased solar capacity through large-scale photovoltaic projects and the growing adoption of rooftop solar installations. The country has also invested in modernising hydroelectric power stations with reverse pumping dams, providing storage and increasing security of supply," says the European Environment Agency.
In addition, Portugal's "closure of coal-fired power stations in 2021 marked a fundamental step in reducing emissions" and "sent a clear signal about the country's commitment to phasing out fossil fuels", the document concludes.
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