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 There have been concerns that the eclipse could pose a challenge to
European transmission networks that have a large proportion of solar
power.
The moon will move over the sun for two hours from about 0845 GMT
(0445 DST) in Britain, causing a drop in solar power generation.
National Grid forecasts solar power output will be reduced by 850
megawatts (MW), but a 1,100 MW drop in electricity demand is also
expected as people go outside to see the phenomenon.
The net effect will be a 200 MW drop in demand at 0530 DST as people
watch the eclipse, which is similar to the typical demand for the
city of Glasgow, National Grid said.
The weather in many parts of Britain is forecast to be overcast on
Friday morning, which would dampen solar power output in any case.
"This loss of solar is entirely manageable and will be largely
offset by demand suppression," Jeremy Caplin, forecasting manager at
National Grid, said in a statement.
"We started planning for this in May last year and have a range of
tools in place to manage any effects of the eclipse and balance the
network, including demand-side services and extra generation."
Britain had about 5,000 MW of photovoltaic solar capacity as of
December last year, accounting for about 1.5 percent of total
electricity generation.
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"This week's solar eclipse will act as a good stress test for the
European grid network and its ability to cope with large-scale
intermittency," said Valentin de Miguel, global managing director of
Accenture Smart Grid Services.
Germany, which has 38,200 MW of installed photovoltaic capacity,
said this week that it is prepared for sharp drops and rises in
power supply during the eclipse.
Italy's grid operator Terna has said that 4,400 MW of solar power
will be lost between 0700 and 1400 CET but it will be offset by
other power generation sources.
(Additional reporting by Stephen Jewkes in Milan; Editing by David
Goodman)
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