(Bloomberg) — Blisteringly hot temperatures and a rash of wildfires are posing a twin threat to California’s power grid as a heat wave smothering the region peaks in the days ahead.
(Bloomberg) — Blisteringly hot temperatures and a rash of wildfires are posing a twin threat to California’s power grid as a heat wave smothering the region peaks in the days ahead.
Much of California is under an excessive heat warning for the next four days, with temperatures in Sacramento forecast to crest Tuesday at 114 degrees Fahrenheit (45.6 Celsius), sending demand for electricity to run air conditioners to near record highs.
The fight to keep power flowing in the most populous US state is complicated by wildfires near Los Angeles and San Diego that are threatening transmission lines and power plants.
“We’ll be keeping a close eye on these fire conditions,” Elliot Mainzer, chief executive officer of the California Independent System Operator, which runs the state’s grid, said during a briefing Saturday.
The threat to the power system is another reminder of how grids have become vulnerable in the face of extreme weather as they transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. California has retired many of its older natural-gas fired power plant, leaving the state increasingly reliant on solar farms that go dark late in the day as demand for electricity peaks. At the same time, the state is enduring its worst drought in 1,200 years, sapping hydropower production.
The state’s grid operator has asked homes and businesses to conserve power and is warning of shortfalls. A grid emergency watch is in effect for Sunday night. Demand for electricity on Tuesday is expected to near 50.1 gigawatts, just shy of the all-time record of 50.2 gigawatts set in 2006.
Last week, California lawmakers nearly unanimously approved a bill to extend the life of the state’s only remaining nuclear power plant as a protection against blackouts — a move that was nearly unthinkable just a few years ago because of widespread opposition from environmentalists.
Also See: California Lawmakers Vote to Keep Last Nuclear Plant Online
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