Blistering heat waves have pushed the California electricity system to the brink after a blistering heat wave. The state grid operator, however, rolled back implementing blackouts after canceling the level -2 grid emergency. The grid -2 level is the final warning before power outages are forced on the consumers.
Millions of homes, offices, and businesses’ air conditioners are reeling as they cope with temperatures above 43.3. Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit), the electricity use in California, has touched the highest level since 2017.
CEO Elliot Mainzer of California Independent System operator (Caiso), which manages the state grid CEO, said in a media briefing that consumers should ramp up conservation to avoid blackouts. Caiso also asked for help from a transmission agency in North California. It said that backup electricity was required to handle the overloads.
Inadequate Solar Power
Grids are under pressure from weather conditions as they try to cope with the transition between renewable energy and fossil fuel. They have become vulnerable to the threats of outages from extreme weather.
In recent years California has closed its natural gas power plants actively and forced the state to depend mainly on solar plants. The problem here is the solar farms go dark later in the day when there is peak electricity demand. The state is also facing the worst drought in 1200 years, leaving the hydropower plant sapped.
Major parts of California are reeling under excessive heat. The National Weather Service reported Sacramento hitting a record high of 110 degrees on Monday. Senior forecaster Bob Oravec of the US Weather Prediction Centre said Sacramento might touch 115 degrees on Tuesday. Los Angeles touched 103 degrees on Sunday; it was the first time they crossed 100 degrees this year.
According to the officials, the heat wave that begins at the end of August has been relentless and ferocious. As the wave drags, the risk of power outages increases. The searing temperatures make the concrete walls take time to cool the buildings. Also, the power plant running at full pace risks breaking down.
According to California officials, the power demand could break all records as the schools and offices reopen after a long weekend. Also, the state is vulnerable to wildfires because of the dry and hot conditions.
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, has issued an emergency announcement on the heat wave asking for freeing up of extra supplies of electricity. Wildfires in nearby San Diego and Los Angeles have complicated the efforts to keep the power supply flowing in California. According to Mainzer, they are threatening power plants and transmission lines though there were no major breakdowns on Sunday.
Oravec said Tropical Storm kay would hit southern California from the Pacific Ocean later this week and bring respite from the heat. Later this week, the storm kay is set to become a hurricane and move north; it will release clouds and moisture in Arizona and Southern California and take cool down things.
