New Delhi: With the solar eclipse scheduled for 21 June, India’s electricity grid operators are preparing to manage the shock due to the sudden drop and surge in generation that the national grid would experience when the celestial event occurs.
To balance the upheaval, India’s hydropower stations are expected to play a key role as they provide the flexibility of a quick generation ramp up and down as they take the least time to switch on or off. This was evident on 5 April, when India pulled off a feat in electricity grid management during a 9-minute blackout, called for by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes between the sun and the earth but doesn’t cover the former completely, leaving the sun’s visible outer edges to appear as a ‘ring of fire’. This leads to a drop in solar irradiance which impacts power generation.
