Midsummer’s Day is a few days away, and on the west coast of the United States things are heating up. Here is the surface temperature map for the western USA yesterday afternoon:
Those sort of temperatures mean that lots of air conditioning units are working hard, and consequently the California Independent System Operator (CAISO for short) called for a voluntary “Flex Alert” yesterday, in order to persuade its customers to voluntarily reduce electricity demand:
The desired aim seems to have been achieved, with the evening demand peak having been “shaved” somewhat, and with last year’s rolling blackouts averted so far in 2021:
Here’s how the differing sources of electricity supply coped:
Here’s an expanded view of the contribution of the ever expanding amount Californian battery storage to electricity supply during the evening demand peak:
The California heat wave is forecast to continue today, as is another high peak in demand:
And so:
According to the California ISO news release:
Consumers are asked to conserve energy tonight and tomorrow evening by:
- Setting thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, if health permits
- Avoiding using major appliances
- Turning off all unnecessary lights Consumers are also encouraged to use fans for cooling, and to unplug unused electrical items.
To be as comfortable as possible during the Flex Alert hours, consumers can take these steps earlier in the day:
- Pre-cool your home by lowering the thermostat
- Use major appliances, like your dishwasher, and clothes washer and dryer
- Close window coverings to keep your home or apartment cool
- Charge electronic devices
- Charge electric vehicles
The ISO is continuing to monitor weather and grid conditions and will have additional announcements as information becomes available.
The California ISO is happy with the outcome of their second FlexAlert:
Day 2 in graphs:
Here’s the current demand forecast for today:
The peak forecast is thus somewhat less than yesterday’s peak of 40,743 MW