Total solar eclipse in Chile: a brighter outlook for the future?
A total solar eclipse on December 14
th left the Chilean south briefly in the dark. Between local indigenous groups and the solar industry, the event was affronted with respect and ingenuity. Vera Dickhoff takes a closer look.
Total solar eclipses are rare at any particular location, as its totality exists only along a narrow path on the Earth’s surface, as traced by the Moon’s full shadow (Public Domain)
Chile’s previous total solar eclipse and the solar industry
The country’s last total solar eclipse in 2019 was previsioned to cause a decline of around 1.500 MW from photovoltaic systems, equivalent to the energy consumption of approximately half of the Metropolitan region. Later analysis showed that the eclipse had caused a decline of 1.200 MW and by doing so eliminated the power of more than half of the country’s solar farms, which altogether produce about 2 GW of electricity.