The Eclipse's Effect on Solar Power
solar · 350 words · read ~922 times.
The headlines were clear - Upcoming solar eclipse to wreak havoc on Germany's solar power output screamed the headlines. Although the reality was slightly more prosaic.
Although it's only one data point, I'd like to show you what happened to our solar panels during the eclipse.
The full day graph shows a clear dip during the eclipse.
As the eclipse drew closer, my minute by minute tracker showed a noticeable drop in production. Although, due to the cloud cover, it wasn't as large as it could have been.
433 watts. pic.x.com/m6lxxtnpj3
So, how much of a drop was it really?
This is what the day before looked like :
@Edent_Solar
Automated
Rubbish day! @edent's solar panels generated ~2.77kWh, earning £0.49
FAQ: shkspr.mobi/blog/solar-gra…
#edentSolar pic.x.com/hxq7dags5z
The Eclipse :
@Edent_Solar
Automated
Such sunshine ;-) @edent's solar panels generated ~17.54kWh, earning £3.10
FAQ: shkspr.mobi/blog/solar-gra…
#edentSolar pic.x.com/gikm2m3yl3
The day after :
@Edent_Solar
Automated
A bit rainy. @edent's solar panels generated ~5.77kWh, earning £1.02
FAQ: shkspr.mobi/blog/solar-gra…
#edentSolar pic.x.com/b2trrx50ie
It doesn't look much different from the daily ebbs and flows of solar generation. Of course, the main difference is that this occurred simultaneously over Europe.
If we take a look a few weeks back, there was a similar sized dip and recovery - this time, due to cloud cover.
@Edent_Solar
Automated
That's more like it @edent's solar panels generated ~15.75kWh, earning £2.79
FAQ: shkspr.mobi/blog/solar-gra…
#edentSolar pic.x.com/8nkjsgw96n
Solar eclipses are relatively rare so are unlikely to provide for any serious instability in PV generation.
And, of course, an extra special mention to the Daily Mail for their "science" reporting.
What links here from around this blog?