This post was most recently updated on June 24th, 2019
Solar powered generators
Centered in the path of totality will be affected the most, as the moon will block all direct sunlight for up to three minutes.
These generators will also be affected to a lesser extent throughout the entire eclipse event, which will last for up to
three hours, measured from the onset to the ending of any blockage of direct sunlight. Generators outside of the path of totality will be less affected, depending on how much sunlight is obscured. The path of totality spans the United States, starting in Oregon and moving eastward to South Carolina over the course of approximately 90 minutes.
During the eclipse, electricity generators in the areas affected by the eclipse will have to increase output from other sources of electricity generation to supplement the decrease in solar power.
NERC’s recent 2017 Summer Reliability Assessment does not anticipate any impacts on the reliability of North America’s bulk power system attributable to the eclipse, based on an analysis published in April.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Scientific Visualization Studio Note: Click to enlarge. On August 21, a solar eclipse will obscure the sunlight needed to generate electricity at approximately 1,900 utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants in the […]
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It’s something I’ve always wondered about. I didn’t even realize that there were 4 different types of solar eclipses when you really break down the science. Looking at the map of the United States above we can see that the solar eclipse doesn’t affect the nation.
The solar eclipse will be more profoundly seen in the polar regions of the Earth. Certainly large solar farms that house hundreds of solar panels will experience some of the effects due to the amount of sunlight they collect, but because of how brief the eclipse will be, it still should be manageable.
It’s sort of amazing how solar eclipses during certain eras of history had stopped wars, brought fear and dread to entire cultures and civilizations. There’s something to be said about the sun, it’s power over people, places things and animals. To be able to harness and store some of its energy is quite an amazing thing, perhaps we tend to take if for granted at times.