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Solar Eclipse vs. Solar Power

Aug 21
9:09
AM
Category | Events

Today, Monday, August 21, 2017, is the day many of us will get to experience a total solar eclipse. Even if you’re not in the path of totality, this experience is still incredible. The moon covering the sun isn’t something we see every day, and many have wondered, what happens to the solar power if the sunlight is missing during that time?

Well, after some research, here are some answers.

 

In California, the eclipse is expected to wipe out six gigawatts of solar electricity, which is enough to power several million homes. If you’re on the path of totality like California, Utah, and North Carolina, there will be some issues with solar energy that is provided by solar panels and they will have to use a combination of other energy sources to make up for the loss. 

Our home office in Avon, Connecticut, has had solar panels installed back in May of 2015. We have 572 panels and five inverters on the roof which helps reduce cost and also allows us to derive clean and pure energy from the sun, reducing our carbon footprint. It’s simple, we care about our planet and try to save as much energy as possible. Going green is a great way to go. 

What does this mean for our office during the solar eclipse? Well since Connecticut is not in the full path of totality, we probably won't see much change to our solar energy but there is also a chance that since the sun is missing for the most part, so will solar energy, but only for a short time. We'll just have to wait and see what happens in a few hours.

Since it took over 35 years for this solar eclipse to arrive, we highly recommend checking it out. However, as all the warnings have stated, please don’t look directly at the sun. You can cause severe damage to your eyes and may not even realize it until days later.

Be safe and happy viewing!