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Wednesday evening’s eclipse will briefly dim Britain’s solar power just as evening demand peaks. Octopus energy is rewarding customers who use less electricity from 6-8pm.
The moon will cover 95% of the sun during this week’s eclipseWednesday’s solar eclipse is expected to be the best experienced in Britain since 1999, with the moon set to block up to 95% of the sun.
However, the eclipse will briefly dim Britain’s solar power just as evening demand peaks.
Energy company Octopus is rewarding customers who sign up with free electricity for one hour on Sunday in return for using less during the eclipse, which will take start at 6pm on Tuesday.
It wants them to shift everyday jobs such as running the washing machine or the dishwasher outside the 6-8pm timeframe.
The eclipse will briefly knock out the chunk of Britain’s power that comes from solar panels, at the exact time as electricity demand climbs when people return home and start using appliances, it explained.
Solar energy plays an increasingly important role in Britain’s energy system, generating a record 14.4% of Britain’s electricity in July.
Household flexibility is one of Britain’s biggest untapped energy resources, according to Octopus.
A couple of hours without sunshine can leave a gap that has to be filled, usually with gas power that emits greenhouse gases that cause climate change, Octopus said.
If enough households delay using electricity for a short time, this need can be reduced.
Around 0.5-0.8 gigawatts of solar generation will be lost at the height of the eclipse, comparable to the
Original Record.
This archived record authored by ‘Catherine Early’ at ‘METEORED (Your Weather)’ was recovered from data set:
English