Solar power generation in parts of the northeastern United States has taken a significant hit in recent weeks, primarily due to smoke from wildfires in Canada. A thick shroud of smoke has caused solar power production in these areas to plummet by more than 50%.
Solar farms that power New England, for example, were generating 56% less energy at peak demand times compared to just a week before, according to data from ISO-NE per Bloomberg.
ISO New England is a non-profit, independent regional transmission organization that provides services to the six states of the New England region: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Moreover, power generation across the areas serviced by PJM Interconnection LLC, which extends from Illinois to North Carolina, decreased by about 25% compared to the previous week.
“With a situation like this, it’s really unprecedented” in the Northeast, said Matt Kakley, a spokesperson for ISO-New England. “We don’t have a lot of historical data to look back on. There is some learning in real-time.”
The Gateway Pundit reported on Wednesday that the northeastern United States was engulfed yesterday with a massive blanket of smoke from wildfires burning in Quebec. New York City quickly all but disappeared behind the orangish haze.
TGP’s Brian Lupo reported that satellite imagery from the College of DuPage Meteorology Department shows plumes of smoke rising from at least 17 separate visible sites (over 100 separate fires have been reported) at around 6pm EST.
