Weather & Science
Eclipse Will Darken Solar Panels and Cut Off Power Supplies to the Grid
- Event expected to have little impact on electricity prices
- Texas solar to be affected the most by rare total eclipse
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The US will lose more than 30 gigawatts of solar energy during Monday’s total eclipse — roughly the output of 30 nuclear reactors — as sunlight is blocked during prime generating hours.
The Texas power grid will be affected the most, losing about 17 gigawatts, according to estimates compiled by the Schneider Capital Group LLC. To the northeast, the grid operated by PJM Interconnection LLC will lose about 4.8 gigawatts of utility-scale solar power and about the same amount from rooftop systems. The impact on the Midcontinent Independent System Operator grid, covering much of the Midwest, will be slightly less — 4 gigawatts.