By Aarushi Koundal ETEnergyWorld
Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO) has started preparing power systems for the 21 June annular solar eclipse as it expects a reduction in solar power generation by 11,943 megawatt (MW) across India.
The solar eclipse will begin at 09:56 am IST at Dwarka, Gujarat and will end at 14:29 pm IST at Dibrugarh, Assam. This would be the fourth solar eclipse India would witness in the past decade. The last one occurred in December 2019.
“Eclipse would lead to reduction of all India solar generation by about 11,943 MW at maximum obscuration time and total estimated reduction in energy will be 20 million units compared to a normal day,” it said.
The state-run power operator is planning to manage the deviation of grid frequency from the nominal by flexing fast ramping sources such as hydro and gas-generating stations.
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“During the initial period, 8,900 MW of solar generation will reduce in a very short span of time i.e 1:48 hrs and after maximum eclipse, it would increase by 10,362 MW within 2:08 hrs,” POSOCO said in a fresh report.
As on 31 March 2020, with an installed capacity of 34.6 GW, solar PV constituted 9 per cent of the total installed generation capacity of Indian grid.
“Electricity grids with such a significant penetration of solar capacity will be adversely impacted by astronomical events such as solar eclipse, due to variation in solar generation reduction followed by rise in generation and associated large ramp rates,” POSOCO said.
It added that low generation from solar power parks results in high voltages at pooling substations, which needs to be maintained by timely switching of reactors or transmission lines.
