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Conservation measures on Tuesday helped prevent rolling blackouts in California as a scorching heat wave shook the state’s electrical system to a point not seen in two decades.
But the Golden State’s recent power outages have drawn anger and new focus on an increased reliance on renewable energy and holes in storage capacity for an event such as record-breaking heat.
The California Independent System Operator (ISO), which manages most of the state’s electric current, had warned that many homes and businesses could be affected in the late afternoon hours before an 8-hour emergency declaration was lifted. tweetjen “We did it!”
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The ISO said production and conservation of high wind energy helped keep electricity flowing, but another Flex Alert is set to emerge on Wednesday as triple-digit heat continues.
California Gavin Newsom, who on Tuesday issued a statewide statement because of the heat and 30 major burns across the state, said California is in the “critical 48-hour period” with energy consumption.
California has ordered rolling power outages for the first time since 2001 when a statewide heat wave hits the electrical system. (AP Photo / Richard Vogel)
On Monday, Newsom ordered an investigation into outages that occurred Friday and Saturday.
“We are doing everything in our power to understand the causes of this,” the mayor said.
Calif Gov. Newsom on Tuesday declared a state of emergency over fires across California as the state’s power grid operator urges its residents and businesses to continue conserving energy to prevent impending blackouts. (Paul Kitagaki Jr./The Sacramento Bee via AP, pool)
But Fresno Republican Rep. Jim Patterson, vice president of the commission on utilities and energy, said Monday that the declining dependence on the state of natural gas has fueled recent problems.
“I have repeatedly warned that the policies that come from the Democratic-controlled legislation and the bureau of governors create the conditions for blackouts and brownouts and here we see the evidence,” Patterson told FOX26 News.
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Last September, officials at an ISO board meeting warned that electricity shortages were possible in a long-term heat wave due to the shift to less reliable sources such as solar and wind energy.
Equipment for power grid transmission in Pasadena, California, Saturday, August 15, 2020. The state power grid operator declared an emergency on Friday, August 14 and ordered utilities to hide their power loads. (AP Photo / John Antczak)
While California relies on large solar plants, Mark Rothleder, ISO vice president of market quality and state regulatory affairs, warned that the demand for energy in the heat wave at 5 a.m. when people come home from work, just as the sun begins to set set and solar power begins to decline, reports The Mercury News.
The ISO could typically import electricity from other states to compensate for lost solar energy, but a large heat wave affecting multiple states would mean that there would not be enough electricity to go around.
ISO of California has been struggling since Friday to reduce electricity demand when it released its first rolling blackouts in nearly 20 years.
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The three largest utilities – Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric – switched off power to more than 410,000 homes and businesses for about an hour at a time until the emergency declaration ended three and a half hours later. A second but shorter outing hit Saturday night, from more than 200,000 customers.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCG | PG & E CORP. | 9.36 | +0.19 | + 2.07% |
| SRE | SEMPRA ENERGY | 129.36 | -0.32 | -0.25% |
Newssom at a news conference Monday said there were gaps in the ‘reliability’ of power as utilities move from natural gas plants to renewable energy.
“Our capacity for storage in particular … needs to be substantially improved,” the governor said, “but I am confident in our capacity to handle that.”
Newsom said the state “cannot sacrifice reliability” going forward.
“We failed to predict and plan these deficits. And that is simply not acceptable,” the mayor said.
California has ordered rolling power outages for the first time since 2001 when a statewide heat wave hits the electrical system. (AP Photo / Richard Vogel)
In an interview with reporters Monday, ISO CEO Steve Berberich said “sustainability is not really a factor” behind the recent blackouts, but also pointed to a need for better storage, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“It’s just a matter of raw capacity,” he said, while calling for a “fairly comprehensive deployment of batteries” and “overbuilds” of more durable ones.
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Jan Smutny Jones, the CEO of the Independent Energy Producers Association, told Mercury News that keeping gas-powered plants around until battery storage is increased is what is needed, similar to an insurance policy.
“Some people in the environmental community want to shut down all gas plants,” he told the paper. “That would be a disaster.”
President Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday night to blame Democrats for the recent blackouts, saying they “intentionally implemented rolling blackouts – forcing Americans into the dark. Democrats are unable to keep up with the demand for energy.”
“Meanwhile, I gave America energy independence, so much energy we could never use it all,” he added without giving evidence. “The Bernie / Biden / AOC Green New Deal Plan Would Take California’s Failed Policy to Every American!”
Patterson told FOX26 that recent issues showed that “you can not run” the fifth-largest economy in the world on just wind and sun.
“The mayor says he wants an investigation. We do not need an investigation. What we need is more electricity than we need, and that will mean the natural gas installations will run again,” Patterson said. “We need more electricity. Flat and simple.”
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
