What The March 20 Solar Eclipse Tells Us About Energy Storage
The recent solar eclipse resulted in a sudden drop-off in solar production, potentially spelling trouble for the grid for countries heavily reliant on solar power like Germany.
However, the European electrical grid stayed largely stable. In Germany, energy storage from pumped hydro played a crucial role in maintaining the grid during the eclipse.
The solar eclipse raised the essential question facing the grid: how can utilities and grid operators achieve large-scale flexibility using energy resources that turn on and off—predictably due to eclipses, sunrises/sunsets, or unpredictably due to clouds and weather?
Energy consultants from Frost and Sullivan suggested that this instability will drive generators to invest in better storage facilities to ensure a constant security of supply.
Experts claim the solar eclipse highlights the importance of energy storage to the continued growth of solar. Together with dynamic power pricing, and a range of other strategies, energy storage would represent a crucial part in the power grid.
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