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The total eclipse shows us how important solar energy is to the US


And why the US needs more solar panels and batteries.

Around 32 million people in the US live within three miles of a peaker plant, a facility that typically runs on gas and fires up during energy demand “peaks” like the one the solar eclipse is expected to trigger. The eclipse is forecast to either fully or partially block sunlight to utility-scale solar farms with a combined capacity of 91.3 GW, according to the Energy Information Administration. As an alternative to gas peaker plants, pumped hydropower storage is set to make up for 42 percent of the shortfall in solar energy during the eclipse.

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