Total eclipse’s path across US to be tracked as solar panels’ electricity generation dips

The eclipse of the sun will be tracked as it moves across the United States by solar panels on the ground.

As the moon moves across to block the light from the sun, the amount of energy being produced by photovoltaic panels will fall.

SolarEdge, a company in the industry, has produced a live map showing solar energy production that can be used to monitor the eclipse’s path across the US.

Guy Sella, chairman of SolarEdge, said: “Being one of nature’s most magnificent events, the solar eclipse is a reminder of the importance of sunlight in all our lives.

“With solar energy now having greater significance for power generation, tracking the path of the eclipse is an exciting undertaking.

“As a leading PV [photovoltaic] inverter provider in the United States with PV systems installed coast to coast, we are able to leverage our vast fleet of PV systems and real-time monitoring to live track this event.”

The company can measure real-time solar energy generation from nearly 300,000 systems across much of the US.

The map is coloured deep orange in areas with large amounts of solar energy generation, tailing off to a yellowy-orange colour where there is less.

The eclipse will be total in the US but the UK will also experience a partial one at about 8pm with the moon appearing to take a bite out of the sun for about 40 minutes.

However it was thought weather conditions might make watching the eclipse difficult in the UK.

Anyone planning to watch the eclipse should only do so with special glasses or other means of observing it safely as there is a risk of blindness or permanent sight problems.