Europe is trying to conserve energy in an effort to manage the crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. For many places, that means turning off the lights.
Several regions of Germany, one of the EU members most reliant on imports of Russian gas, are scrambling to come up with solutions to reduce consumption — with Hanover switching to cold showers in all public buildings. Germany has a new law in place to save energy nationwide through temporary measures such as banning the illumination of landmarks.
In Paris, the Eiffel Tower will see its lights dimmed an hour earlier than usual starting this week, and the water temperature in municipal pools will be lowered. In the rest of the country, roughly 12,000 communes have fully or partially switched off public lighting at night.
Spain went for a curfew, with shops and monuments now being required to dim the lights and shut down at 10 p.m. sharp — although those efforts might prove to be in vain what with Madrid choosing to put up Christmas lights in September.
Here’s a quick look at how saving energy are having an impact in some European cities.
