Solar power relies on irradiance from the sun to energize solar panels. These panels in turn transmit the energy to inverters, which transform it to mains electricity. Several readers wrote in asking will the April solar eclipse affect my appliances, and charging my phone? The short answer is this is highly unlikely. Read on, and we’ll explain why this is the case.
What Will Happen During the April Solar Eclipse
The moon rotates around the earth in an elliptical orbit. Meanwhile the earth similarly orbits around the sun. From time-to-time the orbiting moon passes between the earth and the sun. This blocks the sun’s irradiance from reaching a small part of the earth’s surface.
This temporary obstruction of sunlight may be complete, partial, or slight, depending on how much of the sun the moon conceals. Whichever the case, an eclipse affects the amount of solar energy solar panels can capture, and therefore the total amount of electricity flowing through the system.
This reduction is hardly noticeable in countries that are poor in renewable energy. However, it is becoming an issue in south-east Australia with its giant solar battery farms. A total solar eclipse will cross Mexico, United States and Canada on April 8, 2024. Hence the question ‘will the April solar eclipse affect my fridge’.
How Transmission Grids Will Cope With the Energy Dip
Transmission grid managers should have done their homework, and be well-prepared when the eclipse darkens the North American sky. Hardly any consumers will notice a power dip, and they will have batteries and peaking stations to thank for this.
Homeowners relying on electricity fed directly from their solar panels need not concern themselves either. The forward-thinking ones will have their own home solar batteries, while the rest should find themselves temporarily back on the grid.
“I don’t think anything is as predictable as an eclipse,” the president and chief executive of Edison International told The New York Times on March 27, 2024. “You can prepare,” he added, and the electricity should flow as usual. Where would we be without our batteries nowadays…
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