[ad_1]
Californians, sweltering in the prolonged heatwave, have been asked to cut back on air conditioning and other electricity use during critical hours over the weekend to prevent the state’s grid from stressing that could lead to rolling blackouts.
Saturday will be the fourth day in a row that the state’s grid operators have called for voluntary power cuts in the late afternoon and evening hours to balance supply and demand as millions of residents endure the heat.
The California Independent System Operator (Cal ISO) said multiple generators had been forced out of service due to extreme heat, which reached 30 degrees Celsius in some places, straining energy supplies even more.
Power demand peaked at 47,357 megawatts on Thursday, the highest level since September 2017. Cal ISO credits the protection and reduction of commercial use with keeping the grid stable.
“The main concern now is an even higher temperature forecast for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, with loads expected to climb above 49,000 megawatts on Tuesday,” Cal ISO said in a statement.
In August 2020, a record heatwave caused a surge in air-conditioning electricity use, overburdening the grid. This resulted in rolling blackouts for two consecutive nights, affecting hundreds of thousands of residential and commercial customers.
On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced an emergency increase in energy production and relaxation of rules aimed at curbing air pollution and global warming gases. He highlighted the role of climate change in heatwaves.
“September is off to a searing start in the West, with record temperatures and fire weather expected to expand and settle in that part of the country this Labor Day weekend,” the National Weather Service said.
California’s “Flex Alerts” urges protection between 4 and 9 p.m., a time when solar production is down. Grid operators are urging people to use major appliances, charge electric cars and cool homes earlier in the day, and then turn their thermostats to 25.5 degrees Celsius or higher.
“The number one, most effective way to save energy is to set the thermostat to 78F (25.5C) or higher,” said grid operator spokeswoman Anne Gonzales, as air conditioning is the biggest electricity use in summer By.
She added: “We have traditionally asked for 78F because it has a good impact on our needs and still allows for easy consumer engagement.
“We always ask consumers to set it higher if they can and health allows.”
Keeping the temperature too low can cause the air conditioner to keep running, added Jay Apter, a professor in Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Engineering.
“If you set that puppy too low, it just keeps running,” he said. “This does two things, the first is that it consumes a lot of energy, and the second is that it doesn’t give recovery time.”
The goal is to allow the units to cycle on and off, and 78F is a rough estimate of the sweet spot, which can vary depending on the building’s insulation, Mr. Apt said.
In California, customers of Pacific Gas & Electric, the largest U.S. utility, can voluntarily let the company control their internet-connected thermostats during heat waves. The program automatically adjusts the thermostat schedule to use less energy during periods of peak demand.
Customers can get a $75 ($65) participation fee and simply change the thermostat to a different temperature to opt out. The company doesn’t lock the thermostat.
Meanwhile, cities and counties in California are opening cooling centers.
“We’ve had cooling centers in the past, but this heat wave looks like it’s real,” said Dr. Ori Tzvieli, a health officer in Contra Costa County, east of San Francisco.
Dr Tzvieli said some centers will be dedicated to the homeless, and outreach teams will also go out to distribute water to the homeless and inform them of the resources available.
Officials also said the heat would exacerbate the effects of the smog.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is sounding the alarm about unhealthy levels of ozone pollution, especially for children, the elderly and those with respiratory and heart conditions.
[ad_2]
Source link