South San Francisco, CA September 4, 2022 h/t to Riechel Reports
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California faces worsening grid challenges on Monday and Tuesday
Demand for power approaching record levels; CAISO calls for even greater reductions in electricity use
With historic heat bearing down on California for the next several
days and energy demand approaching record levels, the California Independent
System Operator (ISO) is stepping up its call for consumers to lower electricity use in
the afternoons and evenings to avoid outages.
“Starting tomorrow, this multi-day event is going to get much more intense,” said ISO
President and CEO Elliot Mainzer. “We are facing a load forecast of 48,817 megawatts
and energy deficits between 2,000 and 4,000 megawatts for Monday, resulting in the
highest likelihood of rotating outages we have seen so far this summer.
“Because of the increasingly extreme conditions, we will need significant additional
consumer demand reductions during the hours of 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday and
access to all the emergency tools that the state and utilities have established for an
extreme event like this one. We thank electricity consumers for their sustained effort to
help us maintain reliability during these very difficult conditions.”
The ISO has issued a statewide Flex Alert, its sixth straight day calling for consumers to
cut their electricity use, tomorrow from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., when they are urged to set
thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, avoid using major appliances, and turn off all
unnecessary lights. A Flex Alert is also in effect today from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The extra hour of reduced energy use is needed tomorrow because of projected market deficiencies through 10 p.m.
Additional calls for reducing energy consumption are expected as the state endures
record-breaking temperatures lasting at least through Friday. The heat wave is historic
for both its temperatures and its duration.
Heat advisories and excessive heat warnings are in place across the West, with
daytime high temperatures forecast to be 10-20 degrees above normal.
Electricity customers’ actions to cut their demand have already resulted in an estimated
600 to 700-megawatt savings in recent days and are expected to be even more
important and impactful through the next several days.
Power grid conditions are expected to be strained this evening, with a potential for
supply shortfalls. However, Monday and Tuesday are still projected to be the most
challenging days yet, with the highest temperatures forecast on Tuesday and projected
electricity demand of 50,099 megawatts (MW).
For a look at historical demand, see the ISO’s Peak Load History report.
The peak load yesterday was 44,123 MW, and the forecast for today is 45,776 MW.
Grid operators are closely monitoring wildfires for potential threats to generators and
transmission wires, and fire officials have warned that more fires could break out in the
coming days, due to the prolonged high heat and dry conditions.
Several generators are already out of service, making supplies tighter.
Consumer and commercial demand response, including Flex Alerts, has been helping
to extend tight resources at critical hours so far this week.
The Flex Alert is scheduled between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., when the grid is most stressed
from higher demand and less solar energy on the system.
Consumers are also encouraged to pre-cool their homes and use major appliances
before 4 p.m., when solar supplies are abundant. Cooling homes in advance minimizes
discomfort during the Flex Alert and helps to stabilize the grid.
Reducing energy use during a Flex Alert can help protect the power grid during tight
supply conditions and prevent further emergency measures, including rotating power
outages.
For information on Flex Alerts, and to find more electricity conservation tips, visit FlexAlert.org.
Flex Alert Conservation Actions
Before 4 p.m.:
· Pre-cool home by setting the thermostat to as low as 72 degrees
· Use major appliances, including:
o Washer and dryer
o Dishwasher
o Oven and stove for pre-cooking and preparing meals
· Adjust blinds and drapes to cover windows
From 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.:
· Set thermostat to 78 degrees or higher, if health permits
· Avoid using major appliances and charging electric vehicles
· Turn off all unnecessary lights
About Flex Alerts
A Flex Alert is issued by the ISO when the electricity grid is under stress because of
generation or transmission outages, or from persistent hot temperatures. View the Grid
Emergencies History report to see Flex Alerts called since 1998.