Energy experts predicts eclipse impact on electricity network
Experts predict a discernible effect on the electricity network during today’s total solar eclipse, with a predicted loss of 850MW of solar power on the system.
According to National Grid’s forecasting team this will be largely offset by an 1100MW drop in demand for electricity as people as people go outside to see view the phenomenon.
The net effect of the eclipse will be a 200MW drop in demand at 0930 as people watch the eclipse.
Jeremy Caplin forecasting manager at National Grid’s said: ‘We started planning for this in May last year and have a range of tools in place to manage any effects of the eclipse and balance the network, including demand side services and extra generation.”
He told National Grid’s Connecting: “We expect there to be a significant suppression in demand when the eclipse starts, followed by a pick-up when people start to go back inside. The extent of the pick-up will depend on the weather. If it’s sunny, we’re expecting a 1700MW surge. If it’s an average day, it will be more like 1000MW. The cloudier it is, the less of a swing we’ll see.
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