SOLAR ECLIPSE
expected to be clearly visible
For some time now, Monday has been eagerly awaited by the fans of the cosmos and the public in general as they prepare to watch the solar eclipse which will be able to be seen across the sky through the entire continental United States.
the total solar eclipse will be a spectacle that only those directly in its path from Portland, Oregon to South Carolina will experience, the rest of the country will still have the opportunity to witness a partial solar eclipse which still offers an impressive sight for all residents of the Imperial Valley.
The spectacle is expected to begin on Monday morning at around 9 a.m. with the partial eclipse expected to last between 90 minutes and two hours. Here in the valley, you will be able to experience a partial solar eclipse in which the moon passes in front of the sun off-centered and only obscures a portion of it. Locally, the eclipse is expected to have about 60 to 65 percent coverage of the sun.
A solar eclipse typically occurs once or twice somewhere on Earth, but for many having the opportunity to experience a solar eclipse near where they live is much scarcer.
This particular eclipse will only be seen here in the U.S. which is the reason it has been dubbed “The Great American Eclipse. A total solar eclipse only occurs when the moon swiftly moves to the middle of the line of sight between Earth and the sun while the simultaneously moon begins to cover the sun causing the sky to get darker and temperatures to cool down by a few degrees.
Monday’s eclipse is an opportunity you don’t want to miss, the next eclipse that will be seen in North America will be in 2024, but the total eclipse path will be further away as it will be seen from Texas to the east coast. Other effects of the eclipse Since the sun is an important source of energy in the Valley, homes that have rooftop solar installed will need to rely on power from the grid and even the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) will have to prepare to be ready to meet the increased demand for power that the valley will require when the moon partially covers the sun.
The IID is expected to meet the added demand with a combination of power that will be drawn from its battery energy storage facility in addition to the natural gas plants in Niland to fill in the gaps when solar generation decreases.
“We are in a good position to weather the downturn,” said Matthew Smelser, IID’s assistant energy manager who oversees the grid operations group.
“With a high percentage of renewables interconnected to our system, the district recognized early on how important it would be for us to have backup technology and fast ramping generation to fill in gaps associated with intermittent resources.”
At the peak of the Eclipse, the IID expects up to a 58 percent loss of solar generation in its system. In total the IID is estimating it will lose as much as 65 to 80 megawatts of solar output.
Once the eclipse passes around 11 a.m., conditions are expected to go back to normal.
“Our operators are trained and ready for events such as this,” Smelser said. “That’s part of being our own balancing authority. It’s our job to balance the power 24/7 and ensure reliable service for all of our customers.”
Although the district is expected to have the capacity to offset the loss of solar power on Monday morning, the IID asks customers to be mindful of energy consumption during this time.
“Living in the desert, conservation is always a good idea. It reduces emissions and takes strain off of the power grid,” Smelser said.