The world is catching up with ways to avoid the use of fossil fuels and help reduce the pollution caused by it. The US, for instance, has seen an increase in the adoption of solar energy, and the loss of power during the eclipse shows how much the country has progressed.
Loss of Power During the Eclipse
At first glance, it sounds bad that the US is losing access to a huge amount of power because of the celestial event, but it can be seen as good news as it proves that solar power is becoming increasingly widespread among its people, adopting a more eco-friendly way to generate electricity.
All 50 states experienced some kind of disruption to solar power generation during the eclipse. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory saw that there would be a 93% peak power reduction from solar panels within the Texas grid.
About 71% power reduction was expected for the eastern power grid while 45% was expected from the western grid. This resulted from the partial eclipse that lasted for hours and totality that lasted for a couple of minutes, as reported by The Verge.
As solar generation declined during the eclipse, electricity needed to be taken from somewhere else. Houses and establishments that use photovoltaic panels will need to take power from the grid or other renewable power sources like hydropower.
While a backup plan was at the ready, it also meant that more gas was used to make up for the loss of power, which equates to more pollution. This once again proves how much carbon emission is cut down with the use of clean energy sources like solar power.
However, it also shows how inconsistent these energy sources can be. Without the sun, solar panels will have no source of energy. Eclipses are not the only reason for such losses. Even cloudy skies or nighttime can interfere with the generation of electricity.
Luckily, there have been advancements in battery storage, which means that the energy generated from solar farms can be stored for later use. The battery storage in the US has grown to 15.4 GW, which is a .6 increase from the last time a solar eclipse required tapping into stored energy.
Why Solar Energy is Important
Solar energy offers solutions to several problems that people are facing today. For one, it's a cheaper way to generate electricity, which means that people can install panels for their homes and not need to rely on the grid, which still uses fossil fuels and costs significantly more.
It also contributes to the reduction of pollutants as it does not emit greenhouse gas emissions like fossil fuels do. This improves the air quality around the areas it is used in, and it could help with the fight against climate change which has been growing worse to this day.
Those who use solar panels can even sell extra power back to the grid, meaning they can earn extra money from choosing to use a cleaner and renewable energy source. Some would say that while installing solar panels might cost you, it would be beneficial in the long run.
