Darkening skies during next month's solar eclipse could drastically reduce power generation in some parts of the country, theoretically leaving tens of millions of households in the dark. In reality, few people notice a sudden loss of energy.
Utilities say they expect solar power production to be significantly reduced during the eclipse, but are already preparing alternative power sources such as large-scale battery storage facilities and natural gas power plants. There is. Homeowners who rely on rooftop solar panels will also not experience power loss, as the home battery or power grid automatically kicks in when needed.
At 12:10 p.m. on April 8, the solar eclipse will begin in southwest Texas and last for three hours, affecting power systems in areas likely to be most affected by the phenomenon.
“I don't think there's anything more predictable than a solar eclipse,” said Pedro Pizarro, president and chief executive officer of Edison International, a California utility company, and president of the Edison Electric Association, a utility group. said. “I'm ready.”
This year's solar eclipse will darken the sky as it passes over large areas of Mexico, the United States, and Canada. That leaves solar energy systems, one of the country's fastest-growing sources of electricity, vulnerable.
Solar power only generates electricity when the sun is shining, but weather forecasters can usually predict quite accurately how much your panels will generate on any given day depending on the weather. This allows power companies and grid managers to ensure that other energy sources are available to meet consumer needs.
Nearly 6% of the electricity generated in the U.S. last year came from solar power, up from less than 1% a decade ago. Much of that energy was generated during the day, at the exact time the eclipse passed over the United States. While ramping up other ephemeral resources, such as power plants that normally run on natural gas, could increase costs and increase greenhouse gas emissions, energy experts say the eclipse will make this more difficult. He said the economic and environmental impact would be minimal.
Grid managers regularly deal with fluctuations in power supply due to severe weather and other events. The event will help with the timing of the eclipse, avoiding times when power demand is high before people go to work and after they get home in the evening, when power usage typically peaks.
“If regulators plan properly, there should be no disruption to customers,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association. “For Americans who have solar installed on their homes, it will be no different than a passing thunderstorm.”
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, one of the main regulatory agencies that could be affected by the eclipse, said it was prepared.
The city council, which manages Texas' power grid, has been under intense scrutiny in recent years after the state's power system collapsed during the 2021 winter storm and freeze. The city had to ask homeowners and businesses to reduce their electricity usage during the winter. In recent years, freezing and summer heatwaves have occurred to avoid rolling blackouts.
The solar eclipse in October 2023 caused a significant drop in solar power production, forcing grid managers to tell natural gas plants to increase production. This event further strengthened plans for future solar eclipses.
Texas power grid operators said they expect April's solar eclipse to reduce solar energy production to “approximately 7.6% of full clear-weather output.”
The company said it is “working on predictive models that reflect the reduction in solar generation and does not anticipate concerns regarding grid reliability during the eclipse.”
According to the federal Energy Information Administration, solar power is an increasingly large part of Texas' electricity supply. More than a third of U.S. solar power additions this year are expected to occur in the state, the most of any state, and batteries to ensure grid reliability during solar eclipses and extreme weather events. There is growing concern about the need for backup systems such as
The variable nature of solar power is one of the reasons consumers are encouraged to add batteries to their rooftop solar systems. Solar powered homes with battery storage are least affected by solar eclipses.
Mary Powell, CEO of Sunrun, the nation's largest residential solar power company, said the eclipse “will have a very small impact.”