Solar eclipse: Texas power grid, agencies prepare for conditions during celestial event
TEXAS - As the total solar eclipse on April 8 approaches, agencies are preparing.
AAA is expecting a high volume of tourists in cities along the path of totality. The combination of darkness and distracted driving could be a risk for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.
"Looking at your phone for just two seconds doubles your risk for a crash," Daniel Armbruster, spokesperson for AAA, said.
"The eclipse is a beautiful natural phenomenon, and we all want to see it, so it's important to either set aside time to do that and make sure you're not doing anything that's going to cause danger to yourself or someone else behind the wheel," Hailey Curtiss, road safety spokesperson for Cambridge Mobile Telematics, said.
This hits home for Dina Davila-Estelle, who lost two of her children because of a distracted driver in 2015.
"My daughter will forever be 19, my son will forever be 23. My daughter should be 28 tomorrow, but we've lost eight years without our kids," she said.
Experts say don't drive with eclipse glasses on, don't watch the eclipse while driving, and don't try to take pictures of it if you're behind the wheel.
Keep additional space between you and other vehicles, and slow down, as well.
"There's going to be a lot of people who are walking around, possibly with their heads towards the sky. As drivers, we need to watch out for them," Doug Shupe, spokesperson for AAA, said.
For Davila-Estelle, when she sees people texting and driving, "it angers me to the point where I'm reliving my crash over and over and over again," she said.
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As drivers prepare for road conditions, utilities are making sure the lights will stay on.
Experts say with the sun blocked, energy from solar panels will be affected.
"The solar power generation across the path of that eclipse will plummet to near zero and near zero for several hours. From the first moment the moon begins to pass by the sun until the sun is completely out again," Mona Dajani, global co-chair of energy infrastructure and hydrogen at Baker Botts, said.
Despite this, there should still be power.
"People will not even notice, but I'm saying behind the scenes, I don't think people realize that it's like this delicate balance of reserves and anticipating, forecasting how much power is going to be needed," she said.
ERCOT released a statement ahead of the eclipse:
"The impact of reduced solar generation during the eclipse will be reflected in ERCOT forecasts beginning April 1 and will continue to be updated as an hourly average through the day of the eclipse on April 8.
These forecasts [for wind and solar power production] provide assessment of projected system conditions and assist Market Participants with their operating plans. ERCOT uses these forecasts and operating plans to determine any reliability issues. If any reliability issues are detected, ERCOT may determine to commit Resources. In real time, ERCOT may rely on Ancillary Services to balance supply and demand.
Additionally, wind, solar, and load forecasts, which are all impacted by weather, will influence the projected ramping needs during the eclipse. ERCOT has analyzed the ramping challenges posed by the eclipse and will continue to monitor this aspect of the eclipse as updated weather forecasts are received. Transmission issues due to the eclipse are not projected at this time.
Please visit www.ercot.com dashboards (e.g. Supply and Demand, Combined Wind and Solar and Fuel Mix) to stay updated on grid conditions in the lead up to and during the eclipse.
ERCOT has not issued any guidance or mandates on maintenance outages in anticipation of the eclipse. ERCOT has not issued any notification for conservation or reduced usage during the eclipse."