UK's biggest solar eclipse since 1999 to block out nearly 90% of the sun

The blackout will strike during the morning of March 20th.

18:15 25 February 2015

On March 20th, a massive solar eclipse will plunge Britain into darkness, it has been confirmed.

The solar blackout will begin in the UK at 8.45am. The maximum eclipse, which is when the moon is nearest the middle of the sun, will be at 9.31am. The rare event will conclude at 10.41am.

The eclipse will block out nearly 90% of the sun and will begin in the UK at 8.45am. The maximum eclipse, when the moon is nearest the middle of the sun, will be at 9.31am. The event will end at 10.41am.

Back in 1999 - the last time there was an extreme solar eclipse - only 0.1% of our renewable energy came from solar. Nowadays, that figure has jumped considerably to 10.5% of Europe's green energy coming from solar. It means that the effect the March 20th eclipse has on us will be greater particularly as it takes place during the morning rush.

The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity, a group that ensures energy is distributed properly across Europe, advised: “Solar eclipses have happened before but with the increase of installed photovoltaic energy generation, the risk of an incident could be serious without appropriate countermeasures”