Britain faces energy squeeze from solar eclipse
Britain is facing a shortage of electricity supply as the solar eclipse plunges the country into darkness and chokes off solar power generation.
The UK’s most significant solar eclipse since 1999 is expected to wipe out the vast majority of solar power production as the moon blocks up to 95 per cent of the sun in some areas of the country.
The eclipse is set to begin after 6pm, with its peak coming roughly an hour later, and ending across the UK at around 8pm.
Initial warnings from the National Energy System Operator (NESO) indicated the eclipse could lead to a shortage of 1700MW, a figure later revised to a deficit of 1200MW. The body has asked power generators to make extra capacity available to soften the shortfall.
“We have used our routine tool of issuing an Electricity Margin Notice (EMN) for tomorrow evening’s peak, which simply means we are asking market participants to make any additional generation capacity they may have available,” a NESO spokesperson said. “The notice has been issued as a precautionary measure to the market due to the solar eclipse and there is no risk to customer electricity supplies.”
The shut-off of solar power could deliver a dent to power output considering solar power generated 14.4 per cent of British electricity in July.
The shortfalls also come as the country faces its fifth heatwave of the summer, with energy usage and pricing already strained as Brits scramble to keep cool.
Energy prices are expected to remain elevated throughout the day, with projections suggesting they could peak in excess of £210 per MWh, the highest recorded levels since the longest heatwave of the summer late in June.
NESO is expected to offer payouts to energy companies as compensation, expected to be passed on to consumers’ energy bills.
Octopus Energy, the country’s largest household energy supplier, also asked customers to cut their ‘everyday’ energy usage across the duration of the eclipse. The company offered eligible customers free energy the following weekend as a trade-off.