EUROPE PREPARES FOR FIRST TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE IN 20 YEARS

Europe is preparing for a total solar eclipse on Wednesday, the first visible from the continent since 2006. The path of totality will cross northern Spain, Portugal, Iceland, Greenland and northern Russia. Scientists are deploying aircraft and observatories to capture the rare event. Millions of people are expected to gather along the eclipse path.

Demand for certified eclipse glasses has surged across European cities, with shops and opticians reporting shortages and long queues. In Paris, shoppers queued for more than two hours outside a specialist store on Rue de Rivoli. In London, one shopkeeper limited customers to a single pair as stocks fell to around 100. Prices have varied widely: pharmacies in central Madrid sold certified glasses for between €3 and €4 a pair, whilst French retailers charged between €1.50 and €5.95. In Brussels, optician Fouad Mehdaoui took orders by phone and added customers to a waiting list after securing a last-minute restock. In Spain, several distribution points have already sold out.

The eclipse is also expected to cause a temporary reduction in solar power generation. According to grid operator association ENTSO-E, output could fall by up to 9.7 gigawatts between 19:15 and 21:30 CET, with the largest reductions expected in Spain and Germany. France's grid operator RTE expects solar generation to drop by around 1.8 gigawatts, whilst German operators are preparing for a reduction of roughly 2 gigawatts. Solar power currently accounts for around 13 per cent of Europe's electricity generation. Transmission system operators have prepared control rooms, arranged back-up generation and postponed planned maintenance. They have stated they do not expect the eclipse to threaten the security of Europe's electricity supply.