On Monday, August 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse will sweep
across the continental United States from Oregon to South Carolina.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the Earth and
the sun, thereby obscuring the sun from Earth's view and
creating a shadow on Earth's surface below. While a partial
solar eclipse occurs every 18 months, this will be the first total
eclipse visible since 1979. Because the moon and the Earth are
constantly in motion, the eclipse will only remain visible at a
particular location for a short period.
This rare eclipse event presents one interesting dilemma for
utilities that rely on solar energy. When the sun is obscured,
energy generated from photovoltaic solar panels drops rapidly,
thereby resulting in a significant decrease of the amount of power
contributed to the power grid by those panels. Utilities have to
compensate for the drop by getting power from other sources.
