State’s Grid Operator Calls ‘Flex Alert’ Today Between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m.
October 01 2020 - 2:52PM
Business Wire
Hot Temperatures Will Tax the Grid so PG&E,
Other Utilities Asking Customers to Conserve During Peak Hours
With hot temperatures forecast for today (Thursday, Oct. 1), the
state’s grid operator has called for afternoon and evening energy
conservation throughout California as one way to make sure that the
supply of power stays ahead of demand.
The Flex Alert, called by the California Independent System
Operator (CAISO), has been issued for today from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
With high temperatures in the forecast, the grid operator is
predicting an increase in electricity demand, primarily from air
conditioning use. Reduced capacity, along with fire activity and
heat, has led to a potential shortage of energy supply this
evening, CAISO says.
CAISO says wildfires are threatening transmission lines across
the state, and in fact, generators that were taken offline several
weeks ago due to wildfires have not returned to service. Smoke from
wildfires is adding forecast uncertainty and has the potential to
reduce solar power production as the weather pattern changes over
the coming days, according to CAISO.
This statewide Flex Alert asks everyone to work together and
conserve.
Saving Energy at Home
Here are five ways PG&E customers can cut their power use
and help keep the lights (and air conditioning) on for
everyone:
- Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher, health
permitting: Every degree you lower the thermostat means your
air conditioner must work even harder to keep your home cool.
- When it’s cooler outside, bring the cool air in: If the
outside air is cool in the night or early morning, open windows and
doors and use fans to cool your home.
- Close your shades: Sunlight passing through windows
heats your home and makes your air conditioner work harder. Block
this heat by keeping blinds or drapes closed on the sunny side of
your home.
- Cool down with a fan: Fans keep air circulating,
allowing you to raise the thermostat a few degrees and stay just as
comfortable while reducing your air-conditioning costs.
- Clear the area around your AC: Your air conditioning
unit will operate better if it has plenty of room to breathe. The
air conditioner's outdoor unit, the condenser, needs to be able to
circulate air without any interruption or obstruction. Also, dirty
air filters make your air conditioner work harder to circulate air.
By cleaning or replacing your filters monthly, you can improve
energy efficiency and reduce costs.
Saving Energy at Your Office or Business
If you’re working in an office setting, CAISO recommends the
following:
- Turn off any office equipment that is not currently in use.
Alternately, look for sleep or power-saving modes in between uses
during the day.
- Enable power management settings on all computers so that they
go to sleep and turn off screens when not in use.
- Plug electronics such as coffee-makers and microwaves into
power strips and switch them off when the day is done.
- As you leave the office, get in the habit of checking to make
sure computers, printers/copiers, and other office equipment is
fully shut down. If possible, switch them off at the power strip to
ensure they are no longer draining energy.
PG&E’s Demand Response programs offer incentives for
business owners and residential customers who curtail their energy
use during times of peak demand. PG&E has several of these
programs. About 261,000 PG&E customers are enrolled in one of
these Demand Response programs. PG&E’s website includes
detailed information on these programs, which allow residential
customers and business customers to save energy and money.
Customers can actively help by shifting energy use to morning
and nighttime hours. Conservation can lower demand and reduce the
duration of possible power interruptions. In August, when
California experienced its first rotating outages in two decades,
conservation limited the effects to two nights rather than three or
four. And, similarly, conservation over the very hot Labor Day
weekend prevented the need for rotating outages.
PG&E’s meteorologists say that a high-pressure system
remains anchored over the state. Daytime high temperatures today
will top out in the upper 90s to low 100s across the interior and
throughout much of the intermediate and inland Bay Area with upper
80s to low 90s near the coast. Cooler weather returns over the
weekend as high pressure breaks down with near-normal temperatures
along the coast and around the Bay Area, but remaining slightly
above-normal farther inland
Northwest winds will increase after midday and peak this
afternoon and evening reaching 10-20 mph with gusts 25-30 mph over
elevated terrain extending from Humboldt County to the Central
Coast before diminishing overnight. PG&E does not project a
need for a Public Safety Power Shutoff due to this weather, but
conditions will be continuously monitored.
PG&E is prepared and, based on forecasts, doesn’t anticipate
any issues meeting the increased demand for power. At this point,
CAISO has given no indication that it will call for rotating
outages.
PG&E also urges customers to stay safe during this heat
wave. The company funds cooling centers throughout its service area
to help customers escape the heat and cool off. To find a center
near you click here or call 1-877-474-3266.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San
Francisco, with more than 23,000 employees, the company delivers
some of the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in
Northern and Central California. For more information, visit
www.pge.com/ and pge.com/news.
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