The European solar energy is bracing for the shock of a solar eclipse on the morning of 20 March 2015 that will last two hours and is expected to take
35,000 megawatts of electricity from the grid.
By comparison, a typical coal plant in the United States generates about 600 megawatts. The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) calls the eclipse an “unprecedented test for Europe’s electricity system,” according to a report in the Financial Times (via MSN)
The concern over the event is unprecedented. With 3% of Europe’s electricity coming from solar power, the eclipses takes on a new significance.
“It’s definitely going to be a challenge for control rooms,” ENTSO-E spokesperson Claire Camus told the Financial Times.
Energy companies in Europe have been preparing for the eclipse for a year. There is a network of contacts among control rooms all over the continent, hoping to respond more effectively to problems such as power outages caused by the eclipse.
Timeanddate.com has a good page with details of the eclipse here.
Originally published by Cosmos as Solar industry braces for eclipse that will take 35,000 MW off the grid
Bill Condie
Bill Condie is a science journalist based in Adelaide, Australia.
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