Eclipse tests the power grid’s mettle as solar energy goes dark

Published August 21, 2017 4:01am ET



The total eclipse of the sun Monday is expected to prompt fossil fuel generators to ramp up quickly to fill in the gaps as solar power goes dark from Oregon to the Carolinas.

Grid operators and watchdogs say the biggest effects from the loss of solar-generated electricity will occur in California, which represents 40 percent of the nation’s solar capacity. Other states expected to be especially hit by the loss of solar include North Carolina, Utah, and New Jersey.

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