Managing the Electricity Grid During the Solar Eclipse
April 11, 2024
On Monday, parts of southern Ontario experienced a total solar eclipse - an area where most of the province’s solar generation is installed and where most of the population lives. The IESO closely monitored the impact of the eclipse on the system to ensure reliability throughout.
At the peak of the eclipse around 3:25 p.m. EDT, solar generation had dropped by roughly 1600 MW. Ontario’s electricity system was able to step-in to compensate using a combination of hydro and natural gas generation. By the end of the eclipse, solar generation had recovered to approximately 1,370 MW before tapering off as sunset approached.
Leading up to the eclipse, the IESO worked closely with weather forecasters on the potential impact to Ontario’s solar facilities and drew upon its experiences with past eclipses to ensure the system was ready.
You can learn about the eclipse’s impact, and see charts showing the impact on solar output as well as provincial demand on the transmission grid, by visiting the IESO’s LinkedIn page.