Bloomberg: August eclipse could hurt 9,000 MW of solar output

Grid operators in California and other regions began preparing for the solar eclipse months ago. The California ISO expects to buy more regulation service and more flexible ramping services during the eclipse to fill what could be a 1,365 MW increase in load as a result of obscured solar panels.

The ISO says output from large solar plants could drop by 70 MW a minute during the 82 minute eclipse and return at 90 MW a minute as the eclipse fades. However with mitigation measures, such as increased procurement of regulation services, CAISO expects reliability services will not be interrupted despite the burden placed on dispatchable resources by the eclipse.

The Texas grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), expects the eclipse to dim about 600 MW of solar output. And the PJM Interconnection estimates the eclipse could affect as much as 2,500 MW of solar output…..
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