California’s grid operator is warning it could ask people to conserve energy this week to avoid the possibility of rolling blackouts as the state and much of the West face blisteringly hot temperatures.
The California Independent System Operator, or CAISO, which oversees the state’s grid, said Tuesday that Californians should be prepared to conserve energy as the heat drives up demand for power. That would include setting thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, avoiding running major appliances, and turning off lights that aren’t needed.
TEXANS ASKED TO SET THERMOSTATS TO 78 DEGREES OR HIGHER TO CONSERVE POWER
California’s temperatures, expected to reach as high as 115 degrees Fahrenheit, could break records this week, records that in some places were broken just last year.
CAISO was forced to resort to rolling power outages in August 2020 amid a severe heat wave. California’s top utility officials have already warned extremely hot temperatures this year could put similar pressure on the state’s power grid.
CAISO said Tuesday its projections show power demand will exceed guaranteed supplies for several days this week, especially on Thursday evening when demand is expected to be more than 3,300 megawatts higher than available power supply.
In addition to preparing to ask customers to conserve power, CAISO said it has also directed energy generators to free up all available resources during the afternoons and evenings this week when demand will be high. The grid operator has also asked power companies to defer maintenance on power plants and transmission lines if possible.
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CAISO’s warnings come as Texans are also again facing similarly tight grid conditions. On Monday, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, asked people in the state to conserve power this week in anticipation of record electricity usage for June amid scorching temperatures, coupled with a number of power plant outages.
ERCOT’s request comes only a few months after unusual cold plunged millions of Texans into darkness for multiple days while the state struggled to regain enough power supply to meet demand.
