SETO Spotlight: Solar Eclipse 2017

As utilities across the country that use solar during the day prepare to deal with the loss of solar generation during the eclipse, the SunShot Initiative has funded a study with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Peak Reliability, which helps coordinate reliability efforts with utilities in the Western United States. By modeling the impact of the eclipse on the Western grid, these researchers help grid operators plan for and adapt to the expected loss of solar generation so that grid reliability can be maintained.

The team behind the report estimates that PV output will drop 5 gigawatts (GW) below typical generation levels during the eclipse. The burden of compensating for the lost energy from solar generators will fall mostly on natural gas powered turbines, which are able to ramp up ahead of the eclipse. Hydro generation—power created from flowing water—will also help to fill the void of solar output, though conservation constraints in the West will prevent it from compensating for all of the lost generation. Read the blog post to learn more.

This research will allow for utilities affected by the 2024 and 2025 total eclipses in certain areas of the United States to better prepare for the events. The report will be finalized after the eclipse so the impacts can be fully studied, and will be posted here upon its completion.