Good good God, it's less than a half hour. Are we gonna panic over clouds?
the problem is not the sun but the time. You need conventional power for a few minutes and then shut them down. Coal will need a long time to start, gas based stations are ok provided you have enough capacity ad gas to take the solar load.
Oh My God, they are going dark. For a few minutes. Be afraid.
2
It already happens every single night. Just go with that.
8
...it's dark out every night: what's the big deal?
3
Three Body Problem....
1
Please write about science intelligently. Sloppy science writing leads folks to view all science as "fake news," which hurts us all.
--- For perspective, In 2016, California produced 198,227 GIGA-watt-hours of electricity from all sources [CA state data]. Some say the eclipse will reduce total generation by 4,200 MEGA-watts. That reduction will vary over the event, but to be simple assume the entire 4,200 MW reduction applies to the entire 2.5 hours from beginning of partial eclipse (at the northern border) to end. So the generation loss at most is 10,500 Megawatt-hours.
--- A Gigawatt is 1,000 Megawatts. The loss of 10,500 MWH = 10.5 GWH = 1/20,000th of a year's generation in CA due to the eclipse. I imagine California will tough it out.
--- This is a press event, not a power event. Readers deserve to know when The NYTimes is being scammed.
--- Building a more resilient grid is an important investment. Artificial uncertainties created by the Trump
Administration are a far greater problem than the Eclipse of 2017. Best wishes!
--- For perspective, In 2016, California produced 198,227 GIGA-watt-hours of electricity from all sources [CA state data]. Some say the eclipse will reduce total generation by 4,200 MEGA-watts. That reduction will vary over the event, but to be simple assume the entire 4,200 MW reduction applies to the entire 2.5 hours from beginning of partial eclipse (at the northern border) to end. So the generation loss at most is 10,500 Megawatt-hours.
--- A Gigawatt is 1,000 Megawatts. The loss of 10,500 MWH = 10.5 GWH = 1/20,000th of a year's generation in CA due to the eclipse. I imagine California will tough it out.
--- This is a press event, not a power event. Readers deserve to know when The NYTimes is being scammed.
--- Building a more resilient grid is an important investment. Artificial uncertainties created by the Trump
Administration are a far greater problem than the Eclipse of 2017. Best wishes!
9
Does your propaganda ever quit?!
6
24/7 solar systems are being born. These are engines powered by atmospheric (ambient) heat, a huge untapped reservoir of solar energy larger than Earth's fossil fuel reserves.
Conversion of a Ford engine to fuel-free operation proved the concept. A few more engines are in the pipeline and will be verified and validated by independent laboratories. See aesopinstitute.org
24/7 cheap green energy will be an alternative to solar panels and wind. Engines are scalable to very large sizes.
Conversion of a Ford engine to fuel-free operation proved the concept. A few more engines are in the pipeline and will be verified and validated by independent laboratories. See aesopinstitute.org
24/7 cheap green energy will be an alternative to solar panels and wind. Engines are scalable to very large sizes.
5
I like how PJM is looking at the solar eclipse as not a burden but as a way to find out more knowledge. The PJM looks at this situation to also find out how many other people have solar panels on their roof which I like that they are killing two birds with one stone. They are using it as a good exercise for them and to find out the number of panels. What I think needs to happen is a very large rechargeable battery that will power a city with no other power source. So say a city that could only be powered by solar energy by day and at night that battery kicks in. In an event like an eclipse that would be great because we wouldn't have to spend more money on ramping up natural gas and hydroelectric power plants. I think it would be very interesting to see this technology in the future.
2
A Storm in a tea cup:
Yes the eclipse will reduce most if not all of the electricity production from the PV panels however electrical systems are designed to cope with rapid changes in demand and they treat solar PV as negative demand. The eclipse is not instant, it takes many minutes for the moon to cover the sun and as such the ramp down will be gradual.
To put it in to perspective, Brazil electricity operators had to deal with a 50% reduction in demand within a few minutes when the world cup started (and was in Brazil) and at half time that energy demand came back as quick as it went away. Their conventional power stations coped without any drama. Californians will do the same provided they are not reliant on the solar for capacity (and having modelled capacity on solar previously it is discounted quite substantially)
Yes the eclipse will reduce most if not all of the electricity production from the PV panels however electrical systems are designed to cope with rapid changes in demand and they treat solar PV as negative demand. The eclipse is not instant, it takes many minutes for the moon to cover the sun and as such the ramp down will be gradual.
To put it in to perspective, Brazil electricity operators had to deal with a 50% reduction in demand within a few minutes when the world cup started (and was in Brazil) and at half time that energy demand came back as quick as it went away. Their conventional power stations coped without any drama. Californians will do the same provided they are not reliant on the solar for capacity (and having modelled capacity on solar previously it is discounted quite substantially)
5
Ummm, solar plant operators have to deal with catastrophic interruptions of electricity generation pretty frequently.
They call these events "nighttime."
They call these events "nighttime."
20
This could be a great test to see if our solar power generators can withstand things like solar eclipses. If our systems and the operators can't function properly in this situation, I think it's a valid concern that they may continue to function in this manner. I love that we are beginning to widen our doorstop solar energy, but I think that, since solar power gives such an inconsistent energy flow, (for example, the difference between the amount of power during the day and during the night) we shouldn't solely rely on it at any time.
2
Rest assured, the generation loss is insignificant. See post above.
1
This is a good fire drill exercise for the utility companies. If we look at the percentage that's being thrown out there compared to the total demand in each State. The portion is just negligible. and electricity providers know the path of the solar eclipse. So, there is ample time to prepare for this event. However, ramping up and ramping down of the load is challenging task for grid operator. Weather impacts are much worse than this event because often, the probability and forecasting models, that Utility companies rely, miss to account the human response in the event of weird weather events. A well-diversified stock of energy resources can easily mitigate the effect of the total eclipse and the eclipse does not last more than few minutes for any given area. Most of big cities buy additional kW for any given hot summer day.
Scientifically, the temperature and direct radiation falling on a dual solar panel may not be much more different than a regular night time. There is less to discover here than what’s not already been discovered in the laboratory set up. There should be any bo ha ha here.
Scientifically, the temperature and direct radiation falling on a dual solar panel may not be much more different than a regular night time. There is less to discover here than what’s not already been discovered in the laboratory set up. There should be any bo ha ha here.
2
A reminder, sorely needed, that solar (and wind) need not merely backup, but *immediately* available backup, i.e., gas, coal, or nuclear plants to pick up the ever-looming slack. This is the lesson of the eclipse, and was the lesson of the Austrian debacle this past year, and is the lesson of German power generation. Our Greens are only deluding themselves that there will be some miracle of storage that will, in any imaginable near future, make renewables a practical solution.
3
This article is pure [useless] hype.
The effect of the eclipse will be no different from the effect of a fast moving weather front, with one major difference: the eclipse can be predicted precisely long time in advance (intensity, timing, etc.). The weather front is more difficult to forecast precisely.
The effect of the eclipse will be no different from the effect of a fast moving weather front, with one major difference: the eclipse can be predicted precisely long time in advance (intensity, timing, etc.). The weather front is more difficult to forecast precisely.
25
The eclipse is getting way too much coverage, and there are too many eclipse t-shirts, mugs, etc., etc.
What happened to us?
What happened to us?
8
Hey, it's a national sporting event! And lots
more fun than Steve Bannon.
more fun than Steve Bannon.
4
Seriously, Jean. I was alive for the last one that came through town, and, while it was most definitely an event that many of us were excited about - quite literally, you don't see this every day - I do not recall quite the same frenzy. Perhaps the evil powers of the Marketeers have been enhanced over the decades, and people in general are just more willing to take the bait.
This nation took a weird turn long before it put a madman in the White House.
This nation took a weird turn long before it put a madman in the White House.
1
What will happen when the panels go dark in the eclipse? My goodness, they go dark every night.
26
Did Trump write this article?
16
Remind me: doesn't the sun go away every single night?
To me, this sounds like Y2K fears all over again...
To me, this sounds like Y2K fears all over again...
15
Actually, the Y2K fears were much more sensible than this, and John Koskinen did an excellent job solving them so you didn't hear much about it. This is a zilch problem the electricity folks are hyping. We'll live.
3
Haven't power companies plenty of experience with this issue every night?
9
The power companies will manage this just fine, particularly because a small proportion of electricity comes from solar and only a small portion of the geography will be affected at any time. This is a puff piece.
The solar panels generate power that ramps up and then down. It is unusual to have a two-three hour period where the sun is slowly turned off and turned back on in the middle of the day.
It is going to be costly to ramp up and down the natural gas generators.
The solar panels generate power that ramps up and then down. It is unusual to have a two-three hour period where the sun is slowly turned off and turned back on in the middle of the day.
It is going to be costly to ramp up and down the natural gas generators.
2
Here is another example of missing information The NYTimes should have reported. Utilities love gas turbines because they can be brought online very quickly when needed, and taken off when not.
1
Electrical companies have dragged their butt on the best storage solution, molten salt storage. Thermal storage can be done on site and has a small footprint. The engineering challenges are also quite simple and involve primarily materials engineering.
4
What makes it the conventional electrical generators responsibility. Shouldn't it be the responsibility of the intermittent generators? And shouldn't the intermittent generators have to pay for it? Or accept a low price in exchange for the unreliability of their generation?
If you put this on the regulated utilities, any cost should be assessed to the solar and wind generators, rather than to regular consumers.
When renewable cronies make their case for how cheap they are, they are engaging in fraud by not including the externalities they impose of the grid.
If you put this on the regulated utilities, any cost should be assessed to the solar and wind generators, rather than to regular consumers.
When renewable cronies make their case for how cheap they are, they are engaging in fraud by not including the externalities they impose of the grid.
4
The question is an important one, but generating resilient power calls for diversity, and diversity that helps one specialty helps all. Forcing one new piece of the puzzle to pay for a resilient grid damages all components.
The eclipse's effects are entirely predictable. There are many gigawatts of dispatchable natural gas peaking plants that are designed specifically to provide power (at a higher cost) in these incidents. Problems for the electric grid are caused by unpredictable demand spikes and supply disruptions. This is a non-issue which is likely being played up by people whose interests are not aligned with increasing the share of renewable energy on the grid.
8
Nothing really will happen. All residential solar powered systems, at least in this country, are on the grid. The residence take power from the grid and feed the power produced by the solar panels back into the grid and get the power they supply subtracted from the power that they use. In all cases the power used comes from the utility company. The only time there would be a problem if there is a sudden surge demand to the grid, which should not happen in this case as the utilities have ample warning to prepare for the surge.
3
Along with birth control, decreased incentives for large families, a sane immigration policy and other changes, this is the future. Just like when we went from coal fired boilers at home and horse based transportation we are (hopefully) entering a new era. Let's get on with it and solve the technological problems the way we always have. The bigger problem, as always, will be changing the way we think in a world that is changing faster than our prehistoric brains seem able to adapt.
3
I think it will be less of a problem in the long term. As battery costs come down, battery storage with near-instantaneous ramp up will quickly become the method of choice for buffering short-term power fluctuations. Even residential batteries normally used for power outages could easily be programmed to minimize rapid changes in power from rooftop solar panels.
1
I work for a large utility company. We are very prepared for the fast cycle change in electrical demand that will occur during the eclipse. This is is a predictable event, with precedent, and if other utilities are truly unprepared, they're not doing their jobs well.
20
I don't know where I will be exactly during the eclipse but I most definitely would not want to be in a commercial jet airliner flying above the clouds.
Can a eclipse potentially affect aviation?
Can a eclipse potentially affect aviation?
3
Dear Chris,
No, an eclipse can not affect aviation. We don't use the sun for navigation, rather satellites and ground based GPS systems. Getting slightly darker has no impact on aircraft.
No, an eclipse can not affect aviation. We don't use the sun for navigation, rather satellites and ground based GPS systems. Getting slightly darker has no impact on aircraft.
2
Chris....you have a much better chance of dying whiling driving your car or crossing the street than while being in a commercial airline during the eclipse, but thanks for the irrational hysteria anyway.
6
Aircraft do have the capability to fly in the dark and routinely do so.
16
As battery technology develops (and it's developing fast), variations in power supply will become easier and easier to handle.
Over the next 51 years expect to see a significant change in the past paradigm of PV systems. Until now there have been 2 types, off the grid and grid connected.
Of the grid includes its own storage in the form of lots of expensive batteries. It's used out in the countryside where connecting to the grid is expensive.
Grid connected is cheaper because it has no batteries. It uses the grid as a sort of battery, feeding into it and then drawing from it.
But now, with batteries like Elon Musk's Powerwall, a fusion of the 2 approaches is imminent. Grid systems in people's homes will include a battery storage element. Both generation and storage will be distributed all across the country. With all these micro-storage sites available that will reduce the challenges currently facing grid operators. Homeowners will first draw from their production, then from their own storage, and lastly from the grid. Imbalances between demand and supply will be mostly smoothed out and the small imbalances remaining will be much easier to handle.
This is a really positive development in the system.
Over the next 51 years expect to see a significant change in the past paradigm of PV systems. Until now there have been 2 types, off the grid and grid connected.
Of the grid includes its own storage in the form of lots of expensive batteries. It's used out in the countryside where connecting to the grid is expensive.
Grid connected is cheaper because it has no batteries. It uses the grid as a sort of battery, feeding into it and then drawing from it.
But now, with batteries like Elon Musk's Powerwall, a fusion of the 2 approaches is imminent. Grid systems in people's homes will include a battery storage element. Both generation and storage will be distributed all across the country. With all these micro-storage sites available that will reduce the challenges currently facing grid operators. Homeowners will first draw from their production, then from their own storage, and lastly from the grid. Imbalances between demand and supply will be mostly smoothed out and the small imbalances remaining will be much easier to handle.
This is a really positive development in the system.
5
J Jencks--
Are you a Tesla investor? Your comment is pretty biased.
Best,
--Keith
@KeithDPatch
Are you a Tesla investor? Your comment is pretty biased.
Best,
--Keith
@KeithDPatch
To get concentration form of energy from solar power requires a lot of surface area.For many countries it means occupying the agricultural space which the farmers not going to support.However where ever it is possible we should use the solar energy at the lower levels.Clearly the other forms of Energy should be looked into which are non polluting.
1
"Passive solar" design is an approach to designing buildings that uses no high technology to speak of. It's a matter of balancing sunlight flowing into the building with the heating needs of the occupants. An offshoot of it is the design of natural daylighting systems to minimize the need for artificial lighting during the day.
These design strategies have been around for decades and are well understood. Unfortunately they are rather labor intensive to put into practice and most clients are not prepared to pay designers for the time required.
However the area required for solar panels is really not that prohibitive. For example, I did a "back of the envelop" calculation. There is a shopping mall near my old home in California, "Sun Valley Mall". I calculated that if the roof of that mall were given over to solar panels, and shade structures were built in its parking lot, it could generate enough power for 3000 homes, basically the entire surrounding neighborhood in a significant suburb. Not an inch of green space would be affected. This same approach could be used in many cities across the country. We need to use a little more imagination in how we approach these problems. Sometimes the solutions are right over your heads.
These design strategies have been around for decades and are well understood. Unfortunately they are rather labor intensive to put into practice and most clients are not prepared to pay designers for the time required.
However the area required for solar panels is really not that prohibitive. For example, I did a "back of the envelop" calculation. There is a shopping mall near my old home in California, "Sun Valley Mall". I calculated that if the roof of that mall were given over to solar panels, and shade structures were built in its parking lot, it could generate enough power for 3000 homes, basically the entire surrounding neighborhood in a significant suburb. Not an inch of green space would be affected. This same approach could be used in many cities across the country. We need to use a little more imagination in how we approach these problems. Sometimes the solutions are right over your heads.
11
I'm an astronomer. This article is terrible. "Then, a few minutes later, when the eclipse passes, all those solar panels will come roaring back to life..." HUH?? Even if the total eclipse could be seen in CA (it can't be), the entire eclipse lasts several hours. Where totality will be visible there will be a gradual reduction of sunlight until the brief few minutes of totality and then a gradual increase of sunlight back to a completely unblocked sun. This is not a "sudden" event. Solar panels deal with clouds passing in front of the sun (and partially blocking its light) *EVERY DAY*. Yes, the grid needs to be flexible to deal with this issue. Yes, we as a nation need to invest in a smarter grid to allow for more use of alternative energies. But, please, understand the basic science before you write the article.
59
welcome to knowing real news.. once you know the real truth you wonder about EVERY new article
3
True, and when I experienced a partial eclipse that was at 97% of totality in Honolulu, I was surprised at how much light remained. If I had been in Minnesota and seen that degree of darkness, I would have thought that there was a bad thunderstorm on the way. That's with just 3% of the surface visible. The sun is more powerful than we think.
P.S. Eclipses are totally predictable and have been for centuries. There are sources online that show the paths of eclipses for the rest of the 21st century.
P.S. Eclipses are totally predictable and have been for centuries. There are sources online that show the paths of eclipses for the rest of the 21st century.
2
For the benefit of the 2 comment writers so far and anyone else who's "confused", the issue appears to be the large scale drop off and ramp up of power in a short period of time. Numbers were cited as were the various mitigating strategies. I for one appreciated the discussion of the issues presented and the specific references current numbers, even in the context of a rare event.
Electricity doesn't just come out of the wall socket, so grid reliabilitly is hardly a non issue. Cascading failures across the grid have had enormous ecomonic and social impact in North America, highlighting just how fragile they can be.
The only element missing from the discussion here was a on the recent European eclipse experience to gain a little more perspective and understand whether the article is hype or "nonsensical".
Electricity doesn't just come out of the wall socket, so grid reliabilitly is hardly a non issue. Cascading failures across the grid have had enormous ecomonic and social impact in North America, highlighting just how fragile they can be.
The only element missing from the discussion here was a on the recent European eclipse experience to gain a little more perspective and understand whether the article is hype or "nonsensical".
During the eclipse, the solar panels you eco-types installed will fail and you will forever wander in darkness, just as the your local power company warned.
Are you taking bets?
2
I'll take it if it not having electricity will reduce the amount of senseless post like this one .
4
Forever...like several minutes forever? Most of people have gone much longer without power after a storm. We'll be okay. Also, are you sure you are from Utah? You have never gone camping somewhere without electricity?
3
It's not going to be a total eclipse anywhere in California. The large arrays will be at 57-68% covered.
The three big California utilities are already at work replacing natural-gas powered "peaker" generation plants with battery storage for handling those big fluctuations. Battery storage is already much cheaper, and the price will continue to drop.
The three big California utilities are already at work replacing natural-gas powered "peaker" generation plants with battery storage for handling those big fluctuations. Battery storage is already much cheaper, and the price will continue to drop.
4
Battery storage is cheaper than it was. It's not cheaper than natural gas generated electricity and it presupposes that you have excess generation to charge the batteries.
1
This is a classic example of the problems facing the traditional grid. Unlike every other major industry, electric utilities have no "inventory" on hand to handle situations like this. Unlike pretty much any major industry, which has a supply on hand in case of fluctuations in demand (just think of steel, copper, or lumber), Electricity on the grid must be generated and used at the exact moment of need, meaning that grid operators have to jump through all kinds of hoops to keep the grid perfectly balanced at all times. They sometimes even keep entire power plants running on standby, dumping vast amounts of energy, just to keep things balanced. This is why energy storage is so important for the future of the grid. The only form of storage we have today is hydro, and there isn't a lot of that which can go both ways (pumped hydro allows water to be pumped uphill to store excess energy). Advanced batteries are very new but making lots of headway finally. We desperately need to modernize the grid!
2
Yes!
Elon Musk's Powerwall has a lot of potential. When all the distributed generation across the country, all those PV panels on people's rooftops, are feeding FIRST into distributed storage, i.e. batteries in people's home, and SECOND into the grid, it will become much easier to balance demand/supply problems on the grid, because individual sites can draw first from their own storage.
It's just a question of the economics of batteries and that problem is being solved as we speak.
Elon Musk's Powerwall has a lot of potential. When all the distributed generation across the country, all those PV panels on people's rooftops, are feeding FIRST into distributed storage, i.e. batteries in people's home, and SECOND into the grid, it will become much easier to balance demand/supply problems on the grid, because individual sites can draw first from their own storage.
It's just a question of the economics of batteries and that problem is being solved as we speak.
3
It goes the same place your lap does,when you stand up
5
HUH - only worthy of any mention at all because of eclipse mania.
Any reason to put that in the title will do.
The grid deal with this all the time. Its called weather.
Any power plant can go offline without warning. The grid is designed for it.
A convenient event with a perfectly timed schedule, even easier.
Not a bad article overall, but I felt like it was click bait.
Any reason to put that in the title will do.
The grid deal with this all the time. Its called weather.
Any power plant can go offline without warning. The grid is designed for it.
A convenient event with a perfectly timed schedule, even easier.
Not a bad article overall, but I felt like it was click bait.
19
@paul: No, the "grid" as you say does not just go offline without warning and without impact. I have worked with an energy provider company, and gratefully gained some insight into how the various plants interact, and how they access the grid; by plants, I mean a collection of various production plants - hydro, thermal, coal, gas, solar, wind - each has its strengths and weaknesses. But, as the article very clearly states, one does not simply "start up" a particular plant's electricity output, or simply shut it down. And one provider doesn't just "turn on a switch", like a light switch, and push electricity out on a certain grid. Aside from the physical requirements (how the plant operates), there are regulatory rules to follow as to who provides how much electricity to what grid at what time and for how long. And BTW, there is no single national power "grid"; they are regional in design and in customer bases. Again, as this article clearly states, agreements between geographic boundaries, such as states or regions, must be in place; and regulatory rules are in place to prevent overloading a grid, which can be as disastrous as under-supplying power. @paul, like so many other commenters, make this out to be a simple "light switch" function, which only shows a willingness to jump in where their own knowledge does not exist. One can only hope for more commenters such as @Socrates to provide sensible and knowledgeable commentary on topics.
I'm afraid I agree, Paul - clickbait. And from the Times, all the worse.
Let's don't give Trump (or Kunstler) a reason to doubt the NYT's credibility.
Let's don't give Trump (or Kunstler) a reason to doubt the NYT's credibility.
2
To answer other comments, this isn't about the loss of solar energy during the eclipse, this seems to be more about the abrupt loss of the sun's rays and then the recommencing of it. It's almost like switching a generator off and on quickly instead of letting it warm up first.
The main impact on the future of solar energy during the eclipse is that a few million Know Nothings, Flat Earthers, Manmade Climate-Change Denialists, Republican nihilists and other fossilized morons will be able to clearly demonstrate for just over two minutes that solar polar is obviously not reliable.
Solar-wind-tidal-geothermal...planet Earth and human research and development gives us all the energy we humans need without maintaining the current greedy Gas Oil Pollution nationally-assisted-environmental-suicide pact of the Republican Party.
Let's eclipse fatal fossil fuels by using our natural and creative energies.
Solar-wind-tidal-geothermal...planet Earth and human research and development gives us all the energy we humans need without maintaining the current greedy Gas Oil Pollution nationally-assisted-environmental-suicide pact of the Republican Party.
Let's eclipse fatal fossil fuels by using our natural and creative energies.
24
And they should also be reminded of the blackouts in NYC over the years that had nothing to do with solar power.
2
Remember, do not stare directly at the sun during the eclipse. Unless from on high those eyes of yours are already acclimated to the intensity of the direct sunlight. In which case, open wide and enjoy the wonders of gravity.
1
I'm so confused, and also bemused by kind of a dramatic write-up. Isn't the eclipse expected to last no more than 7 minutes 12 seconds? Photovoltaic panels lose the sun for hours every night. What's different about losing the sun for a few minutes to an eclipse? The article would do well to address what I assume will be nearly every reader's question.
8
GK...the article clearly described the clear distinction between dusk and a daytime solar eclipse.
Dusk is gradual and sets in quite slowly across the time zones allowing for a gradual, natural slowdown in solar energy grid transmissions.
The eclipse will presumably interrupt a highly productive solar energy day and collapse solar energy grid transmissions for two minutes or so and then spike dramatically upward back to a normal level.
This has real-life energy-planning and transmission considerations for the energy industry and all its customers.
It's clearly very different that eight hours of nightfall.
Reading and comprehension can be very enlightening.
Dusk is gradual and sets in quite slowly across the time zones allowing for a gradual, natural slowdown in solar energy grid transmissions.
The eclipse will presumably interrupt a highly productive solar energy day and collapse solar energy grid transmissions for two minutes or so and then spike dramatically upward back to a normal level.
This has real-life energy-planning and transmission considerations for the energy industry and all its customers.
It's clearly very different that eight hours of nightfall.
Reading and comprehension can be very enlightening.
6
This is helpful; well, the explanation is, not the passive-aggressiveness.
7
GK-thank you for your leadership on this topic, I agree it needed to be stated and has now succinctly been answered.
1
Sorry y'all but this is nonsensical. What do you think happens to solar power output every night? Solar cells charge batteries, when it's night time, or excessively cloudy, they stop producing power. It's not a big deal. Having a little less sun for a few hours is going to do practically nothing to solar power plants, less than the effect of a rainy day.
23
Industrial solar pv plants and most domestic solar does not charge batteries - the power goes straight to the inverter and then to the grid. The eclipse will affect a large area abruptly. There will be a swing from supplying power to drawing power and back again. And on a predictable schedule. As the article points out, this will enable power utilities to test there plans to respond to unplanned outages. Rain and clouds do not cause the abrupt swings over a wide area in the way the eclipse will.
3
Dan Stackhouse, I think it is a big deal because the entire solar power system is predicated on peak use times. That's why the engineers have all these ingenious means of storing energy at non-peak hours in things like freight cars sitting up a mountain, and giant blocks of ice for tomorrow's AC.
Nighttime is easy to deal with because not that much electricity is needed for the system in toto. However, an eclipse during business hours could cause a strain to the entire system.
I don't think the eclipse will be a problem. Our professional engineers and scientists have it figured out. Nonetheless, as the article states this will be a good opportunity to test the system in general, and at homes and businesses in particular.
People don't realize that the energy demands by a mid-sized business are much greater and more problematic than for a large home. And when you add up all the office buildings and factories buzzing, that's a lot of watts.
Somebody could correct me on this, but I believe the decrease in radiant energy during an eclipse will be much greater than a time period of the same duration on a cloudy day.
Nighttime is easy to deal with because not that much electricity is needed for the system in toto. However, an eclipse during business hours could cause a strain to the entire system.
I don't think the eclipse will be a problem. Our professional engineers and scientists have it figured out. Nonetheless, as the article states this will be a good opportunity to test the system in general, and at homes and businesses in particular.
People don't realize that the energy demands by a mid-sized business are much greater and more problematic than for a large home. And when you add up all the office buildings and factories buzzing, that's a lot of watts.
Somebody could correct me on this, but I believe the decrease in radiant energy during an eclipse will be much greater than a time period of the same duration on a cloudy day.
1