U.S. Power Grid Operators Prepare for Solar Generation Drop During Total Solar Eclipse

U.S. power system operators are planning for a drop in solar generation Monday as darkness covers a swath of the United States.

Those losses could be significant. In Texas — where eclipse coverage will range from 81 percent to full totality — the state’s main grid operator could lose more than 90 percent of its solar capacity, enough to power at least 2.8 million homes. Even areas thousands of miles away from the path of total eclipse coverage could see solar generation cut in half.

The country’s last total solar eclipse — which traveled from coast to coast in August 2017 — is estimated to have cut between 4,000 and 6,500 megawatts of utility-scale solar from the grid at its peak, according toBut the grid has changed significantly since then, with fossil fuel plants retiring and being replaced in many cases with wind and solar., solar generation in the U.S.

California was able to draw in power from neighboring states less affected by the eclipse when the sun was most blocked, showing the benefits of a broader footprint in exceptional events.Astronomers can predict eclipse events hundreds of years into the future with pinpoint accuracy. NASA says the next total solar eclipse visible from the U.S. won’t be until 2044, with totality only visible in Montana and North Dakota.

The New York ISO is one of several grid operators who have parts of their territory under the path of totality. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas , which manages a region that handles about 90 percent of the state’s electricity demand. The total solar eclipse will cut through a swath of the state and cover major cities including San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth.

The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, whose region covers at least part of 15 states, says it could see solar generation drop from nearly 5,000 MW to under 1,000 MW in clear sky conditions during Monday’s eclipse.

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