The Briefing Room
General Category => Science, Technology and Knowledge => Energy => Topic started by: thackney on August 08, 2017, 05:10:31 pm
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America's Electrical Grid Prepares For The Shock Of A Total Solar Eclipse
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2017/08/08/americas-electrical-grid-prepares-for-the-shock-of-a-total-solar-eclipse/
AUG 8, 2017
The solar eclipse that will occur on August 21st will have an interesting side effect of shutting off a lot of electricity production in America as it rolls across our ever-increasing number of solar arrays.
The shadow from the moon will be 70 miles wide as it races across the United States at well over 1,000 miles per hour, from Portland, Oregon, to Charleston, South Carolina. On the way, it will cut solar power production by about 9,000 MW (see figure below), about as much electricity as produced by fifteen coal fired power plants.
Then the solar power will come roaring back.
How do you keep the lights on when the sun suddenly goes out? The loss and rebound of generation is much larger than our electric grid usually faces, but with advance preparation, the grid will make it through the event just fine, largely because of the diversity of energy sources that we still have.Nuclear plants will continue to provide the backbone of the system, and generators running on natural gas will power up quickly as the sun is blocked, and then power down even faster as the sun reappears, a costly but easy fix.
This energy diversity is critical because our energy system has to function through more and more frequent challenges, like extreme cold and Polar Vortices, water droughts and low mountain snowpack, heat waves with wind doldrums, and other problems. Those who think we should only have one type of energy, either just fossil fuel or just renewables, rarely consider the problems encountered by the lack of diversity....
(https://blogs-images.forbes.com/jamesconca/files/2017/08/Solar-loss.jpg)
(https://blogs-images.forbes.com/jamesconca/files/2017/08/eclipse-path.jpg)
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I wonder what will happen to all the solar generation if faced with another Krakatoa? https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidbressan/2016/08/31/the-eruption-of-krakatoa-was-the-first-global-catastrophe/#4110fa2e2f1e
It caused a global dimming of the sun's rays which cooled the earth for 4 years.
Must have been impressive as the noise of the explosion was heard over a tenth of the earth.
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I wonder what will happen to all the solar generation if faced with another Krakatoa? https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidbressan/2016/08/31/the-eruption-of-krakatoa-was-the-first-global-catastrophe/#4110fa2e2f1e
It caused a global dimming of the sun's rays which cooled the earth for 4 years.
Must have been impressive as the noise of the explosion was heard over a tenth of the earth.
It likely will be offset by a significant decrease in Air Conditioning. I would be more concerned about global food production with another Krakatoa.
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It looks like the 2024 eclipse will pass over central Texas. Cool! I hope I'm alive to see it. :pondering:
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It looks like the 2024 eclipse will pass over central Texas. Cool! I hope I'm alive to see it. :pondering:
Me too. I'm Saving for this one since I couldn't and can't get to South Carolina for this one.
I'm only going to be able to see the one in two weeks 75% of it from home. :(
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Ping @Suppressed
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Ping @Suppressed
Thanks, @Freya!
It will probably be overcast where I'll be, anyway. :shrug: