The Grid Keeps Going During Solar Eclipse

Many anticipated the partial solar eclipse throughout northern Europe with awe on March 20, while utility operators and power distributors in Germany and Italy prepared for the dark side of the grid. How would the event impact grid stability in these countries with growing network contributions from solar power? Italy shuttered 500 MW of PV capacity for the day to prevent grid fluctuations. Germany's PV penetration fell from 13 to 5.4 MW at the peak of the 2.5-hour event but rebounded to 20 GW post-eclipse. IEEE Spectrum says effects on grid operations and power supplies were negligible.

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