SolarSeven
This August, Americans will have a rare opportunity to see a total solar eclipse from their homeland, but it will also be a misfortune for solar arrays nationwide.
<p>The <a href="https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2017Aug21Tgoogle.html" target="_blank">Great American Solar Eclipse</a>, as scientists and enthusiasts are referring to it, will be Aug. 21 and people from across the globe are expected to be lining up along the <a href="http://www.space.com/33797-total-solar-eclipse-2017-guide.html" target="_blank">path of totality</a> (the sliver of land where the moon can be seen completely blocking the sun), which cuts straight through the states. The 70-mile-wide stretch that spans from Oregon to South Carolina will have the greatest views of the celestial event, but it will also lose out on precious solar energy for a few minutes across the board. And, those outside the path will experience a widespread partial solar eclipse that will cover the nation almost entirely. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy85ODU4OTg4L29yaWdpbi5qcGciLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjQ4NzM3MTY4fQ.kzEc6GYqh-2D-ptDal5bMuUoUK-Buz9Fwbfm_7ELIf8/img.jpg?width=980" id="eaa68" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="259647fd5922588a7cc85b974708283b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><small placeholder="add caption..." class="image-media media-caption">The path of totality is 70 miles wide and spans across multiple states. NASA</small></p><p>A <a href="http://www.caiso.com/Documents/Briefing_SolarEclipse-Presentation-May_2017.pdf" target="_blank">recent report</a> from the California Independent System Operator (ISO), is predicting that this event will cause a sharp drop in solar production. In California alone, which serves the U.S. with 10,000 megawatts of solar power a year—half the nation's solar energy—there will be a 70-megawatt drop per minute while the shadow of the moon blankets Earth. But, immediately following the eclipse, there will be a 90 megawatt uptake per minute. The ISO report states that there will be a net loss of about 6,000 Megawatts, that's enough to power a small city. </p><p>To prepare for this loss, the U.S. is looking to Europe for guidance, which gets <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/feb/09/new-energy-europe-renewable-sources-2016" target="_blank">90 percent of new electricity</a> from renewable sources, as of a 2016 report. They have determined that they will have to allocate resources from hydroelectric and natural gas to make up for the loss, but the <a href="http://www.nerc.com/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">North American Electric Reliability Corporation</a> (NERC) doesn't believe the U.S. should be all that concerned. </p><p>"We don't call it a reliability issue, but it's an impact to the system operations and something operators need to do some planning to prepare for," John Moura, NERC director, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/1e951508-2eae-11e7-9555-23ef563ecf9a" target="_blank">told the Financial Times</a>.</p><p>This is the first time grid operators have even had to consider the effects of a solar eclipse on such a large scale. But, as the U.S. increases <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_blank">renewable energy</a> sources, this kind of event will have to be taken into greater consideration. Although solar eclipses are usually in a remote area and very rarely cross through the entire continental U.S, there are expected to be six more by the end of the 21st century. </p>
Read More
Show Less