Eclipse

The Sky Won't Be The Only Thing Going Dark on Aug. 21st

The upcoming solar eclipse on August 21st may have more gravitas than neat pictures. Across the country, percentage of total sunlight blocked will vary from 50% to total darkness for approximately 3 minutes - spanning its full course from Oregon to South Carolina in a matter of 90 minutes. Granted its impact on daily activity will likely be minimal, photovoltaic generators across the country will have a much lower energy output. North Carolina has the largest amount of generator capacity that will be in the 90% darkness band, which provides with state with 3.1% of its electricity generation. However, California will be the hardest hit with a direct reduction of 4.2 GW statewide and is projected to even slightly darken the state for about 2.5 hours mid-morning.