oncoming Solar eclipse on April 8 will darken skies for millions of people When the Moon passes in front of the Sun – its sight can also affect how much solar energy is produced.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), known as ERCOT, which provides solar service to 90% of the state, said the incident will impact solar production in Texas from 12:10 PM CDT to 3:10 PM CDT. From southwest to northeast.
“ERCOT is working on forecasting models to project solar generation onto the grid during the eclipse,” an ERCOT representative told CBS News in an email. “ERCOT does not anticipate grid reliability issues during the eclipse. ERCOT will use all available tools to maintain grid reliability and will continue to monitor conditions and provide information to the public through communications channels.”
Solar power will account for about 3.9% of energy produced in the United States in 2023, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In Texas, solar energy accounted for 6% of energy production in 2022, according to ERCOT.
Texas' generally sunny weather makes it the second-largest solar producer in the U.S., after California.
During the 2017 solar eclipse, California braced for solar power outages, with state agencies urging people to reduce power use during the event.
But ERCOT did not ask people to reduce their power use during the eclipse, a spokeswoman said.
Utilities and grid operators across the U.S. also braced for the possibility of reduced solar power during the 2017 solar eclipse. Standby power sources were deployed and simulations of potential impacts were run, according to Reuters.
However, an analysis by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that the 2017 solar eclipse did not cause any problems to North American power system operations.
April 8 Japanese It will begin on the Pacific coast of Mexico at approximately 11:07 AM Pacific Time. It will then travel through parts of the United States into Canada and leave the North American continent at 5:19 PM EDT.
According to NASA, approximately 31.6 million people live within the 200-mile path of the total eclipse. During the 2017 solar eclipse, approximately 12 million people were able to view the total solar eclipse.
Solar energy could be affected anywhere in the path of April's total solar eclipse, said Hugh Cutcher, a data scientist at Solcast, a solar forecasting and data company.
But Texas is expected to be the most affected, losing up to 16 percent of its daily radiation, or solar energy, according to Cutcher. “Rapid changes in power generation can lead to grid instability, so asset managers, energy traders and grid operators will strive to maintain stability while making the most of volatile energy prices,” Cutcher wrote.
The eclipse is expected to have less impact on the East Coast, where solar energy use is lower than in Texas. But Cutcher's analysis suggests that rooftop solar panels could be affected, and the New York Independent System Operator, which operates New York's solar grid, could see a 10.9% reduction in solar generation from those rooftop panels.
NASA says the eclipse may cause temperatures to drop. In 2001, a solar eclipse occurred in Lusaka, Zambia, causing temperatures to drop by nearly 15 degrees. This is because the moon blocks the sun's warmth. But NASA says the thermometer may not show any coolness either, because sunlight will return in about two to three minutes.