Solar eclipse 2017

On August 21, 2017, there will be a solar eclipse occurring coast to coast across the continental United States. The last time this happened was almost a century ago in 1918. This has two effects on states that generate a lot of solar energy: the solar energy generated decreases during an Eclipse and people turn on their lights as the sky darkens. Both of these events stress the utility grid.  California's utilities are asking people not to turn on the lights during this event. I am surprised such a short event (and California is not even in the path of totality) can cause concerns for power utilities operators. I wonder if something similar happens when there is no wind in the summer and more people turn on their fans to cool off?