Day by day we realize that we depend on a fragile power grid that can fail at any time due to weather or other causes. However, despite record demand for electricity on the night of Tuesday, September 6, due to the record-breaking heat wave across the state, California has avoided ordering rolling blackouts.
According to the National Weather Service, the state capital of Sacramento, reached 116 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, Sept. 6, surpassing a record set nearly 100 years ago; likewise, at least five San Francisco Bay Area cities tied or set all-time highs in their high temperatures, according to the agency. Because of this, according to CAISO, peak power demand reached 52,061 megawatts, surpassing the previous high of 50,270 megawatts on July 24, 2006.
“The risk for outages is real and it’s immediate,” Newsom said. “These triple-digit temperatures throughout much of the state are leading, not surprisingly, to record demand on the energy grid.” He also mentioned that the state is heading into the worst part of the heat wave, which is on track to be the hottest and longest on record for September.
The infernal heat wave came close to breaking California’s overburdened power grid, as evidence of this, the California Independent System Operator, which oversees the state’s power grid, last week imposed its highest level of energy emergency, a move taken before ordering blackouts and allowing the state to access emergency power sources.
Although the operator did not order outages, three Northern California cities experienced brief power outages. As of 7:00 am PT Wednesday, nearly 8,000 customers in California were without power, according to PowerOutage.us.
Precautionary measures.
“Everyone needs to do their part to help step up for a few more days,” Newsom said.
The governor suggested that residents pre-cool their homes early in the day, when power is most available, and to set thermostats at 78 degrees or higher after 4:00 pm PT.
Transition to 100% renewable energy
California, which has set a goal of transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2045. At this point, it has already shut down several gas-fired power plants in recent years, leaving the state increasingly dependent on solar power.
Our Fragile Power Grid
As seen throughout this hot summer for Americans, the potential for widespread outages reflects the fact that power grids in California and other states are increasingly vulnerable to weather catastrophes such as heat waves, storms, and wildfires, and to top it off, they are even vulnerable to the smallest animals. This was demonstrated on Wednesday, Sept. 7, when 4,463 customers were without power in the Silicon Valley community of Palo Alto, due to the work of a squirrel getting into underground cables, officials said.
