The manager of California’s power grid said a third night of rolling blackouts Monday was a near certainty, taking in millions across the state as the West continues to swelter and electricity supplies dry up.
Steve Berberich, the chief executive of the California Independent System Operator, told reporters that an estimated 3.3 million homes and businesses are likely to be blacked out.
[…]
Berberich said the state is facing a fundamental problem: California is heavily reliant on solar and other renewable energy sources, and in the evening the solar power vanishes even as more customers switch on their air conditioning. He said the ISO has been sounding the alarm for some time that shortages were coming, to the point that it’s been trying to persuade environmental regulators to postpone the shutdown of some badly polluting power plants in Southern California that are scheduled to be mothballed at year’s end.
Berberich blasted regulators at the Public Utilities Commission for exacerbating the supply problem. He said the ISO has warned the PUC for years that grid problems were looming — and has been badgering the PUC to do a better job of forcing the big regulated utilities to line up a lot more power ahead of time, a concept known as “resource adequacy.”
But he said the PUC ignored those warnings and the ISO system has often been forced to rely on last-minute imports to avoid blackouts — imports that are in short supply this week because neighboring states are baking.
“The situation we are in could have been avoided,” Berberich said. “The resource adequacy is broken.”
It could be worse. It could be -40.
Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.
H. L. Mencken
Perfect. Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of woke idiots.
Let them roast in the dark.
The California comrade hippies voted for it to happen. Enjoy.
In abject appeasement of the US marxist who have captured the Democrats and the media , the Republicans refuse to call out catastrophic anthropogenic global warming for the BS it is. Merely normal interglacial period climate noise, it’s the coldening you have to fear, kiddies.
A very long time ago, when I was a kid, I read about rolling black outs. I read about how children couldn’t do homework at night because the lights where out. I read about all sorts of hardship, in Sub Saharan Africa and Eastern Europe. California, and the US in general has come along way. As you point out, Marxism has moved in, the drive and initiative that made America strong has withered. We all suffer for it.
And Justin wants to do this to us when it’s -40…
And by the year 2030 to beat the UN mandated 2050, if the Liberals have their way. Vote Liberal, get Agenda 21 and freeze in the dark.
This is what happens when green theocracy trumps physics. It’s called reality. No mater how much you “believe” in the mythical green energy bromides and no mater how widespread the faith, even if the faith is unanimous, they remain mythical. Even in the face of abject failure of delivery, the herd mentality prefers faith in the green energy myths because to do otherwise would be equivalent to straying from the herd and going over to the dark side. One would think that energy systems would have nothing to do with partisan politics but the pathological desire for control over the masses makes energy the prime battle ground and source of ideological conformity for the institutional left who now dominate culture and most commerce. This is a bigger problem in “democratic” regimes where the polity is only as good as the collective intelligence of the electorate whereas in authoritarian regimes it is only as good as their leader.
“only as good as the collective intelligence of the electorate”. Ah yes, one of my favourite observations. The people will have to start taking those we have elected to task for their failures, and not by voting, but by physically taking, from them, what they have removed from us.
“If you wish long enough and hard enough, all your dreams will come true.” – Jiminy Cricket.
“But but but it’s all about physics. It makes sense when you know the physics.” That’s the common whine I hear in response to any question about climate change. I always retort first with “Since you know so much about physics, what is the first law of thermodynamics and how does that affect the performance of green energy systems?” Usually that stops them in their tracks. If they can actually explain that (very few greenies can) I then ask what Arrhenius got wrong in his original calculations about carbon dioxide and climate change. That never fails to stump them. I then tell them to stop quoting activist websites about physics at me since they obviously know nothing at all about physics.
So, Mr Burch, Um, I’ve never heard of Arrhenius, or his original calculations about carbon dioxide and climate change. (I bet Juthtin doesn’t either) Also, I honestly don’t know what the first law of thermodynamics, or how it it would affect the performance of green energy systems. (Not my field, my field is overgrown with weeds and crab grass as well) Could you please enlighten me/us, or do we have to google our own damn research? 🙂
These are the same people who insist we should be driving electric cars and charging them on the already overloaded electrical grid.
Tesla continues to meet it sales goals …. many destined for CA ….. going to be a few pizzed overheated folks with dead batteries
Right. Just imagine the Biden-Harris duo, or Harris mainly attempting to install her native Ca energy system nation wide. She is trumping the green utopia mantra in the Democrat platform, end fossil fuels and go with “renewables”. American voters surely have more sense, one hopes.
Solar power good. Giant fans good. All problems solved.
Fossil fuels bad. Take them away!
Roy, the fools that promote such idiocy seem to unaware that they cannot be made without fossil fuels.
It’s 12:33 am and the temperature outside is 92 *F. Demand for electric power soars in the Pacific NW as people try to cool their homes, farmers try to grow our food, etc. How much power does wind contribute when we need it the most?
I thought you’d never ask:
https://transmission.bpa.gov/Business/Operations/Wind/baltwg.aspx
The simple answer is never enough, and never will be.
The California Democrats promised an abundance of Electricity… They contracted to sell all their unneeded Electricity to ENRON…..When the Wind & Solar wet dreams didn’t materialize they had to buy back their own power @ a price multiple…..The ENRON story is the failure of the California Climate mutt heads..
BTW: Bernie Sanders WOOD SHED studio brings back the memory of Abe Lincolns Log Cabin Speech….Bernie has all that split wood ready for when the energy systems FAIL…..He is ready for himself!
They could have had nuclear but Jerry Brown and family had other interests.
Frankly, as long as I get fresh vegetables in the winter, I could care less.
You reap what you sow.
You could care less, Buddy?
I have two questions … grammar related, just for fun.
Exactly how much less could you care?
Exactly how much do you care now?
My view on California’s power problem is that I couldn’t care less because I already do not care at all.
Actually, they both can be correct if you understand ” I could care less” as sarcasm really meaning “I could not care less.” “I could care less” is so commonly used that the two phrases have come to be used interchangeably. In informal speech, how words are used comes to part of what’s acceptable. Another example of common misuse is “I feel badly.” If you are talking about your emotional state — rather than your sense of touch — technically it should be “I feel bad.” (Feel used to express a state of being takes a pedicate adjective.) Most people don’t bother with this distinction, however, so common usage comes to be accepted. I am also noticing a lot of misuse of whom — including Penny Collinette today commenting on the empty finance position “Whomever replaces him. . .” Ouch!
By the way, the “whoever” in this case is Freeland — just announced,
Re: ” …California is heavily reliant on solar and other renewable energy sources, and in the evening the solar power vanishes even as more customers switch on their air conditioning.”
My no shit Sherlock moment of the day.
The nice thing about the planned future invasion and conquest of California by Red China is that power shortages will no longer be a problem afterwards. The new Han settlers will expect reliable electrical power, and will get it, with coal-fired plants thrown up in a matter of months.
Of course, what remains of California’s white population, sent to live in re-education camps in the desert, won’t have access to that power, or much of anything else.
None of your comments can ever penetrate the mindset of the average Californian who is steeped in white, affluent, guilt. A guilt that makes them WELCOME Power shutdowns as giving them a momentary glimpse of what it is like to live … “like most of the poor people of the world” … without air conditioning, without electricity. Sweltering in the summer heat signals their virtue
Yes, next … these same people will signal their virtue by dismantling our reservoirs and clean, safe, drinking water supply. “Why should the rest of the world struggle with water bourne illness … but we don’t ?”. Yes, this is the ACTUAL mentality of my average neighboring suburban mom who won’t be voting for PDJT. A momentary “struggle” gives their life meaning and purpose.
This is what has replaced God. Just another crap, manmade religion
The strange thing is, BCHydro still sells and buys power during times of excess and imported needs, to the western states.
Infamously, they sold to Kalifornica back in the 90s, and Kalifornica turned around and claimed that they were overcharged for power, and won the dispute.
It would be no surprise that BCH no longer sells to Newsomland, serves them right! They are the architects of their own demise
(Edit) Yes, BCHydro still sells to the land of Newsom, something doesn’t add up!
https://www.bchydro.com/energy-in-bc/operations/power-trading-and-its-benefits-to-b-c–.html
Right now at 12:00 noon in Calgary on August 18, 2020 it is 30 degrees C on a bright sunny day. According to AESO, the Alberta Internal Load (power consumption) is 10153 MW including 722 MW coming in from BC, Montana and Saskatchewan.
Wind generation is providing about 522 Mw and Brooks Solar contributing an amazing 12 MW! The rest of the power generation is coal and gas based.
AESO Current Supply Demand Report
Alberta’s solar is running at 13/15 of capacity. In the winter that is normally zip/15.
Well, the power has to come from somewhere. How much is Arizona charging for selling their surplus? They don’t have one either? How bout Nevada?
There is a lot of confusion about who the useful idiots are; it’s not the guy who votes to shut down the power plant. It’s the guy who makes sure that first guy, can still run his A/C. The one who protects the first guy, from the consequences of his bad decision.
Who needs “resource adequacy” when you have wind and solar that produce billions of Gigawatts.
Going without electricity is the price they are happy to pay for saving the planet.
The only people who want continuous electricity are the white cultural overlords.
I’m so glad to be elderly right now.
I can sit back and watch mistakes being repeated and realize they are not going to affect me too much longer.
I do however feel for the little kids i see on a daily basis,smiling and enthusiastic .
Should we tell them?
On second thought, may be my grand parents thought the same thing.