Do Your Thing for the Sun

Do Your Thing for the Sun During the August 21 Solar Eclipse

Silicon Valley Clean Energy Joins State Coalition on Energy Saving Call to Action

Silicon Valley Clean Energy has signed on as one of many partners for the Do Your Thing for the Sun campaign, organized by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Energy Commission (CEC) and Energy Upgrade California.

California is a solar leader. We generate a lot of solar energy to power our state, and with the upcoming solar eclipse on Aug. 21, there will be a reduction of solar power generation, and the state grid operator, CAISO, will be relying more on natural gas and other sources to make up for the lost solar power.

According the CPUC, solar resources that supply California’s grid will be affected as the eclipse passes over the Pacific Northwest from 9:02 a.m. to 11:54 a.m. on Aug. 21, with the moon obscuring 58 to 76 percent of solar rays, depending on the resource location, and causing a loss of 4,194 megawatts (MW) of California large scale solar electricity.

While there are no electric reliability concerns, the CPUC and CEC have proposed the following challenge to residents, businesses and municipalities: What if millions of Californians stepped in to allow our hard working sun to take a break, rather than relying on expensive and inefficient natural gas peaking power plants?

In a post on the CPUC website, CPUC President Michael Picker stated:

“We have plenty of wind, geothermal, hydro, and natural gas to make sure the grid runs smoothly during the solar eclipse, but we also have a lot of Californians who want to do their California thing and step in to help replace the sun when it takes a break,” said CPUC President Michael Picker. “When we come together to do one small thing to reduce energy usage, we can have a major impact on our environment. When Californians take the pledge on CalEclipse.org, they are joining a movement of people, businesses, organizations and local governments that are taking action during the eclipse to give the sun a break by saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Steps that residents or businesses can take to reduce their electricity use between 9 – 11 a.m. on Aug. 21 include:

  • Turn up thermostats 2 – 3 degrees
  • Turn off lights
  • Do not charge electronics or electric vehicles
  • Unplug appliances not in use

SVCE has joined with fellow Community Choice Energy agencies, local governments, tech companies and utilities to encourage our customers to Do Your Thing for the Sun.

Take the pledge or learn more at CalEclipse.org.