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UK braces for backup power after solar eclipse to cut generation
The grid operator expects solar output to fall by 300 MW to 1,100 MW during the eclipse, while demand is rising amid a fifth heatwave.
Great Britain is preparing to secure backup electricity supplies for Wednesday evening after a near total solar eclipse is expected to sharply reduce solar generation, prompting the grid operator to seek short-notice capacity in the power market, according to the Guardian Business. The outlet reports that up to 95% of the sun could be blocked over parts of the country. Neso, the National Energy System Operator, raised an official alarm expecting inadequate power generation, with the warning first pointing to an overall shortfall of more than 1,700 MW and later reduced to about 1,200 MW in a second market notice issued Wednesday morning.
Gas plants were among the units expected to receive payments, the outlet said, noting that Uniper’s Connah’s Quay gas plant in Flintshire agreed to generate at £875 per megawatt-hour compared with a market price just below £212/MWh for the evening period. The payment levels suggest some gas generation could be kept running through the evening, potentially at even higher prices, the Guardian Business added.
The report also ties the power margin concern to rising summer demand, saying the eclipse is expected to wipe out between 300 MW and 1,100 MW of solar power just as a fifth heatwave increases use of air conditioning, fans, and refrigeration. Neso later canceled the alarm and said it was a routine, precautionary measure with no risk to customer electricity supplies.