What Happens to Solar Panels During an Eclipse?
In fact, what does an eclipse teach us about the sun? That even two minutes without the power of raw solar energy produces noticeable effects.
One of the surprises to me was the chilly air that accompanied the eclipse. Although in Seattle it ‘just got dim’, 92% of sunshine was blocked by the moon. Our eyes were able to adjust to the lower light levels, but the air and ground does no such thing. Likewise, solar panels demonstrated the decrease in energy with mathematical precision. The graphs below show a normal sunny August morning’s energy output vs the output on the morning of the eclipse and as you can see, when it would normally be producing about 5,700 watts, the array bottomed out at just above 200 watts.
The rapid loss and then regain of solar radiation over such a large geographical area proved to be an instructive and humbling reminder of how we benefit from the sun whether or not we are paying attention to it, and how much we are dependent on its power. Does solar work in Seattle? It most certainly does; just try doing without it!
