Californians were urged Tuesday night to severely limit their energy use as the region grapples with widespread power outages due to extreme heat – and 525,000 customers are being warned they too could be without power.
Sacramento sizzled in 111 degree heat and San Jose in 98F temperatures.
Residents turning up the air conditioning were putting a huge strain on the grid, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom urged everyone to reduce their peak-time usage.
The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), which supplies California’s electricity, said Tuesday afternoon they are preparing for “a new all-time historic high for the power grid” and forcing them to shut down power.
According to PG&E, there were 6,557 customers without power across the Bay Area, with the northern and southern suburbs of San Jose, Livermore, Danville and parts of San Francisco being hardest hit.
But they warned others to be prepared for failures.
“PG&E has pre-notified approximately 525,000 customers to prepare for potential rotating outages should they occur,” they tweeted Tuesday afternoon.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom warned Tuesday that the power grid was struggling in “simply unprecedented temperatures.”
Power outages are pictured Tuesday afternoon, with the Bay Area being hardest hit
Michael Williams cools off with a popsicle and a cone of ice cream as the temperature hits 112F in Santa Rosa
People cool off in the sea on Santa Monica Beach on Sunday as the heatwave continued
“Tonight, power demand is currently forecast to exceed 52,000 megawatts (MW), a new historic all-time high for the grid,” the company said.
“Faced with the hottest day in this prolonged, record-breaking heatwave, the state is expected to deteriorate.
“If needed, ISO could order utilities to begin rotating power outages to maintain grid stability.
“In this event, consumers should expect communications – either by phone, text message or email – from their utility companies advising them of areas of outage and the likely duration.”
In an appeal to his state’s residents, Newsom urged them to respect “flexible warnings” and avoid using unnecessary electricity at peak times.
“California have improved a lot during this record heat wave, but with the hottest temperatures here now, the risk of power outages is real,” he said.
“We all need to double down on energy conservation to ease the unprecedented strain on the power grid.
“We need everyone — individuals, corporations, the state and energy producers — to do their part in the days ahead and help California continue to meet this challenge.”
As of late Tuesday morning, solar power was supplying about a third of the state’s electricity needs. This will subside overnight.
Residents have been asked to cool their homes before 4pm and set the thermostat to 72 degrees.
They were asked to leave their washing machines and dishwashers running and charge their electric vehicles.
They were also advised to keep blinds and curtains closed to keep the temperature down.
From 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Californians should set the thermostat to 78 degrees or higher; turn off unnecessary lights; and avoid using devices and charging electric vehicles.
“CA is experiencing an unprecedented heatwave. This will be the hottest and longest September on record,” Newsom tweeted.
“Our energy grid is being pushed to its limits. The risk of failure is real.
“We need everyone doubling after 4pm today to save energy.”
Katie Porter, a congresswoman representing the Irvine area south of Los Angeles, tweeted, “Flex alerts are stressful, but we all have to do our part to conserve energy.
“My kids like to leave chores like doing the laundry and loading the dishwasher until tomorrow morning!”
A warning of excessive heat is in effect until Friday evening, with temperatures expected to drop over the weekend.
