The week passes, the heat stays and gets even worse. This weekend stay tuned for more drought, heat and fires. All these extremities are, of course, red flags for California Rolling Blackouts. It’s this simple: the higher heat means the more demand for air conditioners, hence more pressure on the grid supply.
Drought Is A Problem In California
The vast majority of the states are gripped by extreme dryness, which raises a huge concern over those states. State officials asked all Californians to cut their water usage by 15%. Similar warnings have been made in 50 counties affecting 42% of the states. All those counties are under drought emergency declarations. State officials are concerned that voluntary conservation of water may not be enough. Besides, the high temperature and drought bring another challenge this week. As drought causes Sacramento River temperature to rise, nearly all young members of an already endangered salmon species may die till fall.
Heat Gets Worse In California
Death Valley is expected to hit 130 degrees on Sunday, just 4 degrees lower from the hottest temperature recorded on Earth. This heat wave is a real threat for another round of Rolling Blackouts similar to last summer. The power outages are around the corner also because the 3 of 4 gas-powered plans ceased to operate. Those plants were agreed to operate this year but broke down because of the heat jump in June. The increased heat wave results in even more dangerous fires. The situation got to the extent that firefighters from Mississippi are heading to California to assist in containing the flames.
Flex Alert In California
This Friday, statewide Flex Alert is issued as the heat gets much worse. According to it, from 4pm to 9pm people should conserve as much as possible to ease the burden on the grid. During the Flex Alert it is recommended to put Thermostat on 78 degrees, avoid using major appliances, turn off unnecessary lights, unplug unused items and use fans to cool the home. All these measures should be taken to avoid any unexpected power outages.
Final Note
California Rolling Blackouts are a nightmare, especially during such hot weather. So each and every one of us should act responsibly to decrease the pressure on the grid. One way to do so is to conserve using too much power, but it puts unnecessary constraints. However, those temporary measures are not very much helpful in extreme situations. There is another much more effective and useful way to fight back shutdowns which is going solar. Solar energy will not only reduce the pressure on the grid but along with storage batteries, will also ensure that your lights are always on.
The author of a publication: Elen Gevorgyan
