Can the shade of a total solar eclipse disrupt Texas power grid? Here’s what ERCOT says
As many in Texas straddling the path of totality for the April 8 total solar eclipse are giddily gearing up for a celestial event of a lifetime, celebrations could easily turn to catastrophe if it disrupts the power grid.
An apt thought given Texas is the second largest state to use solar energy to help keep the lights on.
But, no. ERCOT is aware of the possibility for interruption but does not suspect that the eclipse will have any effect on the state’s ability to provide electricity.
“ERCOT is working on forecasting models to reflect reduced solar power production and does not expect any grid reliability concerns during the eclipse,” Trudi Webster, ERCOT’s communication specialist, told the Star Telegram.
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Texas harvests 6% of its electricity from solar energy. Behind California, Texas is the second largest producer of solar energy, aided by the state’s abundance of of sunny days according to comptroller.texas.gov.
The spine of totality for the April total solar eclipse will traverse through the heart of Texas, including through Denton which is home to one of the largest solar energy power plants in Texas. The few minutes that Texas will be under the shade of an eclipse will not disrupt production of electricity.
The total solar eclipse will pass over a sliver of Texas from the southwest to northeast between approximately 12:10 p.m. and 3:10 p.m. CDT, according to ERCOT. Power in the state will not be disrupted by the celestial phenomenon, the agency says.
But for transparency, ERCOT says it will keep the public informed and will be sending out notices before the solar eclipse giving updates on the grid’s condition.
