Solar Eclipse: The Power Challenges Of This Amazing Phenomenon

Solar Eclipse: The Power Challenges Of This Amazing Phenomenon

It would be near impossible to have missed the coverage of this morning's solar eclipse across the UK. Even if you had skipped the news this week, you may have noticed a strange and eery darkness at around 9.30am.

A solar eclipse is a rare event and this is the first to pose a significant power challenge compared to the last time it took place in Europe in 1999. It was estimated that there would be a drop of up to 34GW in solar power output, the equivalent of 80 gas-fired power stations during the eclipse period. Germany, Spain and Italy would be the most impacted countries.

The UK would be less affected, given a lower dependence on this energy source. The real challenge was to ensure that the network copes with the surge in power demand when the public resumes work after viewing the event.

To find out more, and view an interesting list of the major power surge events in recent history, click here to read the BBC article..