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How Monday's overall solar eclipse affects U.S. grid operators

Electric grids across the U.S. are expecting a rapid decline in solar generation during Monday's. overall solar eclipse, which will span numerous states.

NASA approximates the path of totality - when the sun is totally. blocked by the moon - will last from 1:30 pm CDT (1830 GMT) to. 2:35 pm CDT in the U.S.

Here's how the eclipse will affect grid operators across the. country:. ERCOT (TEXAS). The eclipse is anticipated to pass Texas from 12:10 p.m. to 3:10. p.m. CDT and cause solar power generation to dip to approximately 8%. of it optimal output at its peak, the Electric Dependability. Council of Texas said.

ERCOT anticipates solar generation to drop from more than 10,000. MW to about 1300 MW over 2 hours, when need will hover. in between 48,899 MW and 51,539 MW. Solar can represent 15% to. over 20% of ERCOT's overall electricity.

ERCOT does not anticipate to deal with any grid dependability problems,. however stated it has evaluated obstacles with ramping - essentially,. the procedure of increasing or decreasing electricity generation. to match demand-- postured by the eclipse.

If it does identify dependability concerns, it may decide to. dedicate additional resources or turn to secondary services in. actual time, an ERCOT spokesperson stated.

Secondary services are additional resources acquired by. ERCOT a day before to balance the next day's supply and demand.

MISO (PARTS OF MIDWEST, SOUTH AND WEST)

The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which operates. the grid in all or part of 15 states in the West, Midwest and. the South, would typically see 5,500 MW of solar capability on a. warm day.

The eclipse might shrink that by 4,000 MW over 90 minutes,. followed by a 3,000 MW rebound, it stated. However, the grid. operator doesn't expect reliability problems as a result.

Solar generation will quickly decrease then increase,. resulting in a need for ramp and might trigger congestion management. challenges, MISO stated in an operations report.

MISO prepares to increase reserve requirements and will likewise. line up additional generation that can come online rapidly if required,. it stated.

ISO NEW ENGLAND

ISO New England, which spans 6 New England states, stated. the eclipse's path of totality includes northern locations in its. footprint. On a clear day, around 6,000 MW of solar power. may go offline throughout the eclipse, it stated.

Presuming a clear, warm day, this might represent a 92%. loss of total solar generation, the grid operator included.

Solar will be replaced by other power resources that can. come online rapidly such as batteries, pumped storage, or. natural gas to satisfy need. NYISO (NEW YORK CITY)

Presuming clear skies Monday, the New York City Independent System. Operator expects to generate 3,500 MW of solar production as the. eclipse starts, which will drop to 300 MW over an hour and then. increase to about 2,000 MW after it ends. The loss of almost 3,000 MW of generation is significant,. even when it can be prepared for, and requires additional. resources to be offered for the system to account for the. loss, the NYISO said. PJM (PARTS OF NORTHEAST, MIDWEST AND SOUTH)

PJM, which covers all or part of 13 states in the Midwest,. Northeast and South plus Washington, D.C., expects a momentary. decrease of a minimum of 85% to 100% of production from its solar. fleet. It is preparing for a reduction of 4,800 MW of. grid-connected solar that would have been otherwise offered,. it stated on Thursday.

PJM is preparing for the eclipse by delaying planned. maintenance and keeping hydropower resources on standby, it stated. in a statement.

CAISO (CALIFORNIA)

California is farther away from the eclipse's main path. of totality. Grid-scale solar generation there is expected to. stop by 6,349 MW to 7,123 MW in almost one and a half hours.

The California Independent System Operator prepares to satisfy. this difficulty by ensuring adequate natural gas and hydropower. resources are available and by potentially limiting regular. upkeep.

(source: Reuters)