The total solar eclipse on August 12 is expected to reduce solar energy production in the Iberian Peninsula by around five gigawatts (GW), equivalent to 13% of the peak demand recorded on a typical August Wednesday.
According to the Spanish electricity system operator Red Eléctrica, the phenomenon will have a “limited and temporary” impact on solar production — specifically photovoltaic — since it will occur during a period when this technology naturally declines and will not coincide with the usual August demand peak.
Although this scenario is not expected to, predictably, have repercussions on meeting demand, Red Eléctrica will implement preventive measures.
Among them is close coordination with official bodies, with other transmission operators and European electricity system operators, and with production and distribution control centers.
Likewise, reserves and the usual safety margins will be increased, and there will be continuous monitoring and oversight of the phenomenon, the Spanish operator concluded.
According to the Science Viva site, in Portugal the eclipse will be total only in a restricted area of Montesinho Natural Park, near Bragança.
In the rest of the country, the eclipse will be partial, with obscuration ranging around 92% to 99% across the continental territory and 74% to 77% in the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira.
The last total solar eclipse in Portugal occurred in 1912 and the next will be in 2144, “making the 2026 eclipse a rare phenomenon and an important moment for several generations”.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the Earth, the Moon and the Sun are perfectly aligned, and the Moon completely covers the solar disk for a few moments.
