Beginning this Wednesday, extreme heat will be experienced in California and the Western U.S. that will test the grid with increased demand for energy. In response, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency to temporarily increase energy production and reduce demand.
The California Independent System Operator issued a Flex Alert yesterday, August 31, asking Californians to reduce their electricity usage between 4:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. to save energy and reduce the risk of power outages.
Actions the state has taken to accelerate the transition to clean energy have brought approximately 4,000 megawatts of capacity onto the grid that were not available in July 2020. Since then, California has also developed emergency measures that include adding generators and a Strategic Energy Reserve, additional procurement, and demand response to produce 2,000 megawatts available to respond to emergency conditions like the one currently facing.
However, because this heat wave is affecting the entire western United States, limited energy resources are spreading across several states.
The prolonged drought has also greatly reduced the state's ability to generate hydroelectric power. Additionally, the duration of this heat wave is unlike any experienced in recent history, increasing the time the grid will have to cope with peak demand, the state said in a statement.