JAKARTA - Long and brutal heat waves are expected to grip California for at least the weekend's holiday will burden the power grid. Government officials are now asking citizens to save electricity as an effort to prevent blackouts.
The state is now on the second day of the "Flex Alert" issued by state electricity grid operator, California Independent System Operator (CAISO).
Under Flex Alert, California residents are urged to voluntarily limit their electricity use between 16:00 p.m. and 21:00 p.m. That's when the power grid is under the greatest pressure because that's when electricity demand usually increases when people come home from work, and the solar energy available at sunset has decreased.
"Reducing energy use during these hours can help stabilize the network," CAISO said as quoted by The Verge, which hopes to prevent rotating blackouts.
CAISO suggested that charging electric vehicles and using main equipment such as washing machines should be done before 16:00. They also asked residents to cool their homes to 72 degrees as low as Fahrenheit before that time, and then adjust their volatility to 78 degrees or higher between 16:00 a.m. to 21:00 p.m.
Hot waves are known for pressing the electricity grid as high temperatures encourage people to increase their air conditioning. Temperatures are expected to reach up to 20 degrees higher than usual in most states with three-digit heat as of Tuesday, September 6.
Sunday and Monday are likely to see the biggest tensions on the grid, according to the governor's office. Daily temperature records are already starting to drop in various cities and are expected to continue to decline.
In California, summer is also the main cause of more severe drought and forest fires, which can also cut electricity supply if available water supply is lacking or if the utility has to cut off electricity so that their equipment does not trigger a fire.
This summer, California is expected to lose half of the hydroelectric power plants it usually generates due to drought. The state is also in traffic jams as heat waves are currently spreading across much of the western US, limiting how much aid California can gain in the form of overpower from its neighbors. The state has also faced rotating blackouts triggered by the risk of forest fires.
According to a press release from the California Governor's office, this heat wave length has never happened before. It causes prolonged stress in the network and exacerbates health risks. Lack of long-term rest makes it harder for people to recover from tensions in hot spots in the heart and lungs. Heat has killed more people in the US than other weather-related disasters.
This is just a recent reminder of how real the climate crisis is, and how it has an impact on Californians' daily lives, Governor Gavin Newsom said in a press release yesterday. The California legislator recently passed many climate laws last Wednesday aimed at reducing the country's warming pollution to net zero by 2045.
Newsom announced the Emergency State on August 31 in response to heat. The declaration sparked temporary measures to increase power generation and reduce electricity demand. For example, ships anchored in California ports do not need to install electricity on land, which they usually do to reduce air pollution from ship diesel engines.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
