PG&E Prepared for Unusual Challenges of Solar Eclipse
August 17 2017 - 12:30PM
Business Wire
When the skies turn dark the morning of Aug. 21, as a total
solar eclipse passes over the lower 48 United States, Pacific Gas
and Electric Company (PG&E) will be hard at work to ensure that
the lights stay on. PG&E has prepared for the eclipse for the
better part of a year and expects no impact to customer electric
service.
PG&E’s energy grid operators have a plan to reduce any
potential effects of the eclipse. This includes:
- Halting all non-essential maintenance
work on generation-related infrastructure to ensure abundant
resources are available.
- Utilizing the company’s
state-of-the-art grid technology to reroute generation and
distribution as necessary.
- Coordinating with the California
Independent System Operator (ISO), which operates much of the
state’s grid, to access other fast-ramping sources of power to
replace solar generation.
“Solar eclipses are rare but we deal with the equivalent of a
total eclipse every night when the sun goes down. Even with so much
of California’s energy now coming from solar, PG&E has a
diverse supply of resources that allow us to meet customers’ needs
for safe and reliable energy around the clock,” said Nick
Stavropoulos, president and COO of PG&E.
In PG&E’s service area, the eclipse will begin around 9 a.m.
and peak around 10:15 a.m. It will reduce the sun’s power by 85
percent in PG&E’s northern region, 75 percent in the Bay Area
and 65 percent along the Central Coast and in the Central Valley,
according to PG&E meteorologists.
PG&E forecasts the eclipse will create a potential drop-off
of 2,600 megawatts of solar energy supply across its service area.
PG&E and the ISO plan to replace that supply with other
fastramping power sources, including abundant clean, renewable
hydropower available after a banner rainy season.
California consumers always have helped the grid by conserving
energy when called upon. While no calls for conservation are needed
at this point, according to the ISO, PG&E customers are asked
to stay ready and respond to any calls for emergency conservation.
This could include a Flex Alert should unexpected grid conditions
occur, including wildfires causing transmission or generation
outages or a heat wave leading to high energy demand. Consumers can
sign up to receive ISO Flex Alerts.
PG&E is a strong supporter of solar power. More than 300,000
of its customers use rooftop solar, that’s 25 percent of all
rooftop solar in the nation. Customers may lose some rooftop solar
generation during the eclipse, but those customers won’t see any
impact to their electric service due to the reliability and
flexibility of the electric grid.
PG&E also reminds customers to take proper safety measures
if they choose to watch the eclipse. Looking directly at the sun is
unsafe, even during a partial eclipse. Eclipse viewers should use
special-purpose solar filters, such as eclipse glasses, or
hand-held solar viewers purchased from authorized dealers of such
products. Visit NASA’s website for more information on the coming
eclipse.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San
Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers
some of the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in
Northern and Central California. For more information, visit
www.pge.com and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.
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PG&EMatt Nauman, 415-973-5930
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