Europe’s power grid survives solar eclipse

New Scientist : Last week’s solar eclipse was visible across much of Europe. That meant that the solar generating capacity of many countries was reduced briefly and other energy sources needed to be deployed. Since 2006, the European Union has spent €3 billion ($3.28 billion) on developing smart-grid technologies to help balance the distribution of energy in response to fluctuations in demand or production. In Germany, for instance, which gets 26% of its power from solar and wind, last week’s eclipse provided an important test of the grid’s ability to handle sudden changes. To be on the safe side, the country doubled its network staff for the day and also turned off four aluminum plants that draw a lot of power. During the eclipse, Germany’s solar energy production dropped from 38.2 GW to 23.2 GW. No problems were reported, however, in either Germany or any of the countries that contribute the other 51 GW of solar power in the EU.