RENSSELAER (TNS) — The solar eclipse that passed over New York in April led to a sharp temporary drop in power production from solar panels, according to a new report.
While it didn’t disrupt the power grid because solar provides such a small amount of the state’s energy, the event illustrated the need to anticipate similar occurrences in future years as solar and wind projects become more important in New York’s energy mix.
“In the hours leading up to the eclipse, solar resources generated just over 3,000 megawatts. As the eclipse crossed New York, solar generation declined to just under 600 MW by 3:30 p.m. ― an 80% reduction,” according to a report released this week by the New York Independent System Operator. The organization oversees and helps operate the state’s power grid, or system of interconnected power lines that move electricity from where it is generated to where it is needed.
Because solar at this point makes up a small percentage of the state’s power generation — less than 3% — other forms of generation were easily able to make up for the shortfall. “Hydro-pumped storage, conventional hydro facilities, and fossil-fuel resources were dispatched to make up for the reduced solar generation during that period,” stated the report, which also noted solar generation went back up to almost 1,200 MW at 4 p.m. on April 8 before dropping again as the sun started to set. A megawatt can power up to 1,000 homes.
The NYISO report said the drop illustrates some of the hurdles that will be faced in future years as the state power system continues to shift from fossil fuels, which emit greenhouse gases, to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.
“This episode gave us a glimpse of how the system is going to be performing as we get closer to the CLCPA goals,” said Kevin Lanahan, NYISO’s vice president of external affairs. The CLCPA, or Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, is the 2019 law that calls for 70 percent of the state’s electricity to come from renewable resources by 2030.
That means an increasing number of solar and wind plants will be built as those powered by fossil fuels are retired.
“As solar capacity continues to expand in the coming years, events like these will continue to demonstrate how solar and other weather dependent resources introduce new challenges for our forecasting and operations teams. Continued collaboration with stakeholders, technological innovations, and investment in additional dispatchable resources and transmission infrastructure will ensure operators have the tools necessary to maintain reliability,” concluded NYISO.
The use of large-scale batteries is one way of dealing with weather disruptions, but that alone probably won’t be sufficient, Lanahan added. Researchers, utilities and developers are looking at emission-free alternatives, ranging from small-scale “modular” nuclear plants to facilities powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
“We’re in the process of identifying what that resource will be,” Lanahan said.
Power plant and grid operators like NYISO had plenty of advance notice that the April 8 eclipse was coming so they could plan for it. But last summer’s smoky, hazy weather that blanketed the state as wildfires ran out of control in Quebec, Canada, also impacted solar production.
Electricity from solar panels fell by 1,455 megawatts between June 6-7, 2023, according to NYISO. “That was a curve ball,” Lanahan said. Meteorologists do not currently expect another smoky summer at this point.
News about the eclipse’s impact on solar power production was included in NYISO’s “Power Trends 2024” publication. The 60-page annual report analyzes key factors in the state’s grid and wholesale energy market. Electricity in New York is wholesaled through an ongoing real-time auction and then funneled to where the demand is via the state’s various utilities that operate the power lines such as National Grid, Con Edison or Central Hudson Gas & Electric.
The report also warns of shrinking reliability margins, or cushions needed to ensure a steady power supply during events such as summer heat waves, which prompt more people to run their air conditioners.
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