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As high heat and heightened demand for electricity continues across California, the state’s Independent System Operator has issued a statewide call for voluntary electricity conservation, issuing a Flex Alert from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday.
As daytime temperatures continue to soar past 100 degrees in most of the Golden State and throughout the West, the power grid operator — California ISO — is once again anticipating high electricity demand, particularly from air conditioning use, and needs voluntary conservation steps to assist in balancing electricity supply and demand.
A Restricted Maintenance Operations — RMO — remains in place now through Tuesday between noon to 10 p.m. The declaration orders market participants to avoid any scheduled routine maintenance during those times to ensure all available resources are in service.
The Flex Alert covers the time of day — late afternoon and early evening — when the power grid is most compromised from higher demand and less solar energy. During that time, the state’s consumers are urged to conserve power by setting thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, if health permits, and avoiding use of major appliances and turning off unnecessary lights.
— Bay City News Service
Pleasanton officials activate city cooling centers for weekend
In preparation for the prolonged heat wave, Pleasanton city officials announced Thursday that they would be opening cooling centers at two facilities over the holiday weekend.
The Pleasanton Public Library (400 Old Bernal Ave.) will act as a cooling center on Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 3-4) from 1-5 p.m. The Pleasanton Senior Center (5353 Sunol Blvd.) will serve as the cooling center on Labor Day (Sept. 5) from 1-5 p.m.
“Temperatures are expected to soar over the coming days. Please be sure to drink plenty of water and minimize strenuous activity during the peak heat hours of the afternoon and wear light-colored clothing. Move outdoor activities indoors when possible and use air conditioning if available,” city officials said.
— Jeremy Walsh, Pleasanton Weekly
State: Prolonged heat wave likely to stretch electricity resources
A period of dangerous heat is expected to extend into next week, state agencies warned on Wednesday. Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a State of Emergency in response, calling for increased electricity production from power plants and reduced consumption from Californians.
Throughout the Western region of the country, temperatures are expected to rise through Sept. 7 in what weather forecasters consider to be a record heatwave. Northern California will face temperatures 10 to 20 degrees hotter than normal, said the Governor’s office.
Regions along the Bay Area’s coast are not likely to face dangerous levels of heat, but inland areas in the North Bay, East Bay, Santa Clara Valley and Santa Cruz Mountains will likely experience temperatures hot enough to initiate heat-related illnesses among some residents, said the National Weather Service.
The weather service also said that overnight cooling is expected to be limited. With temperatures peaking on the weekend at a maximum of 115 degrees in some areas, this further puts older adults, unhoused residents, children and those with limited access to cooling at risk of dehydration, hyperthermia and heat stroke.
Newsom said California is living in an “era of extremes,” evident from recent, lengthy heat waves and the drought the state has experienced in seven out of the last 10 years, he said in a press conference on Wednesday.
“This is just the latest reminder of how real the climate crisis is, and how it is impacting the everyday lives of Californians,” Newsom said. “While we are taking steps to get us through the immediate crisis, this reinforces the need for urgent action to end our dependence on fossil fuels that are destroying our climate and making these heat waves hotter and more common.”
As a result of the emergency declaration, power plants will be permitted to generate more electricity, large customers can use backup generators and ships can reduce consumption to use less energy from the power grid during peak demand periods.
Senior Advisor for Energy in the Governor’s Office Karen Douglas said Newsom took several steps to minimize the risk of outages in extreme weather events like this one — through adding generators, a strategic energy reserve and a statewide transition to clean energy. The state has added an estimated 4,000 megawatts on the grid from clean energy from July 2020.
“We will be leaning heavily on all of that work and additional preparation that we have made to be able to handle an event like this one,” Douglas said.
Elliot Mainzer, president of the California Independent System Operator, an agency that oversees the flow of electricity on the grid, said the electrical system is likely to be strained on Wednesday evening already, due to changes in the supply curve. Mainzer predicts that Sunday, Monday and Tuesday will be the highest demand they’ve seen this year.
“This is going to be a sustained event that’s going to take sustained focus and sustained participation,” Mainzer said.
Mainzer said doing small things like setting their thermostat higher or turning off unnecessary lights can make a major difference in the times the grid faces maximum stress.
Director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Mark Ghilarducci said heat events like this require the state’s ability to not only address the needs of energy consumption, but also emergency preparedness to keep communities safe.
Cooling center locations can be found at CALoes.ca.gov, and more information on how to prepare for a heat wave can be found here.
“It is important that all Californians understand the risks, take them seriously and take steps to protect themselves and the community as we enter into the holiday weekend. Please plan to stay cool, keep strenuous outdoor activities to a minimum, stay hydrated and don’t leave pets or small children outside for extended periods of time,” Ghilarducci said.
— Olivia Wynkoop / BCN Foundation
PG&E incentivizes customers to cut electricity during heat wave
PG&E is reminding customers they can cut their bill while keeping their electricity consumption down amid this week’s prolonged heat event with a monetary rewards program launched earlier this summer.
The reminder comes after the California Independent System Operator issued a Flex Alert calling on the state’s residents to cut power usage during peak energy usage times to lessen the strain on the state’s power grid.
Starting from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, and likely through the weekend, residents across California are encouraged to shut off unnecessary lights and appliances, and either set their air conditioners to at least 78 degrees or higher or turn it off completely.
Customers enrolled in PG&E’s free Power Saver Rewards Program will earn credit off their bill when they use less energy during Flex Alerts and any other days deemed a Power Saver Rewards event by PG&E.
At the end of the summer, more than 1.5 million customers enrolled will receive a cut off their bill, with no penalty for times they used energy. Customers earn $2 of credit for every kilowatt-hour of energy they conserve — this translates to the amount of energy consumed if a 1,000-watt device runs for one hour. To determine this figure, PG&E compares the amount of energy used during an event to a customer’s “expected energy usage.”
To participate, residents must be an electric service customer of PG&E or a community choice aggregator, have a SmartMeter and not be enrolled in pre-existing energy reduction programs. More information on how to enroll can be found at powersaver.pge.com.
PG&E encourages residents to pre-cool their homes, use major appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine, charge electric vehicles and close their window shades before 4 p.m. on Flex Alert days.
The company also recommends customers to stay cool in times of extreme heat. Information on cooling centers around the state can be found on PG&E’s website or at CALoes.ca.gov.
— Olivia Wynkoop / BCN Foundation
