According to the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), 35,000MW of solar energy, equivalent to around 80 medium size conventional generation units, will ‘fade’ away from the grids before getting restored after the eclipse.
In the UK, the impact is expected to be lower with a loss of 850MW. However, the loss will be offset by 1,100MW drop in demand for electricity as people come outdoors to watch the phenomenon, the National Grid observed.
National Grid forecasting manager Jeremy Caplin said: "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 1,700MW surge. If it’s an average day, it will be more like 1,000MW. The cloudier it is, the less of a swing we’ll see."
The region has witnessed the last solar eclipse in 1999, when there was no impact on power generation as solar technology was at a nescient stage.
According to ENTSO-E, solar power generation formed only 0.1% of all the electricity produced in Europe from renewable energy sources in 2002. Now it has increased to 10.5%.
ENTSO-E said: "Managing this event on the world’s largest interconnected grid is an unprecedented challenge for European transmission system operators (TSOs).
"After thorough operational planning work, TSOs will put in place continuous on line coordination between control rooms across Europe ahead of, and during the eclipse to better coordinate the scheduled remedial actions."
Europe will witness the next solar eclipse in 2026.
Image: The solar eclipse is visible in entire Europe today. File photo: courtesy of Brocken Inaglory.
