Was There Another Reason For Electricity Shutdowns In California?

The Epoch Times ^ | 11/01/2019 | Richard Trzupek

[Skywise]

According to the official, widely reported story, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) shut down substantial portions of its electric transmission system in northern California as a precautionary measure.

Citing high wind speeds they described as “historic,” the utility claims that if they didn’t turn off the grid, wind-caused damage to their infrastructure could start more wildfires in the area.

Perhaps that’s true. Perhaps. This tale presumes that the folks who designed and maintain PG&E’s transmission system are unaware of or ignored the need to design it to withstand severe weather events, and that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) allowed the utility to do so.

Ignorance and incompetence happens, to be sure, but there’s much about this story that doesn’t smell right—and it’s disappointing that most journalists and elected officials are apparently accepting it without question.

Take, for example, this statement from a Fox News story about the Kincade Fires: “A PG&E meteorologist said it’s ‘likely that many trees will fall, branches will break,’ which could damage utility infrastructure and start a fire.”

Did you ever notice how utilities cut wide swaths of trees away when transmission lines pass through forests? There’s a reason for that: When trees fall and branches break the grid can still function.

So, if badly designed and poorly maintained infrastructure is not the reason PG&E cut power to millions of Californians, what might have prompted them to do so? Could it be that PG&E’s heavy reliance on renewable energy means they don’t have the power to send when an “historic” weather event occurs?

[1_Rain_Drop]

I'm surprised california has electricity at all. They are so freekin' green! why are they still depending on electricity?

Don't their cell phones have little windmills attached to them?

[Stosh]

I’ll give you props for clever comebacks.

But if the utilities are going to transition more and more to less-reliable sources of power (and it’s a “physical” fact that wind and solar are less reliable than carbon and nuclear), somebody is going to have to anticipate potential problems with such a change. If the public wants to trust morons like Brown and Newsom to do so, or if they think the establishment press will go there, they’re likely to be disappointed - we can just blow off anybody straying from the party line as “conspiracy theorists”.

Zoooooom

[philetus]

If California got rid of enough people who would oppose it, could the remaining people vote California into a socialist state?

[beef]

I think this is a trial run for rolling blackouts to “combat AGW”. They want to use electricity to control the population.

[Daffynition]

Sooooooo, how are they charging their ecars, that are saving the planet?

{{{{chortle}}}

[Big Red Badger]

Backup Generator,
A little camp size
1800.
It won’t run the
Well Pump.
I lose power,
I also lose Water.

[The Westerner]

Thank you for adding facts, history and logic to the discussion.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Back in the mid-to-late 90’s and/or early 2000’s, Gov Brown refused to pay out of state companies for electric services already provided.

Which is weird, because Jerry Brown wasn't governor in that period. His first term was 1975-1983, and his second term was 2011 to 2019.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

California used to be one of the main suppliers of hydroelectric power generation, until some problem was invented, that this was “upsetting” the environment, and therefore the capacity had to be destroyed, so all the power dams were dynamited.

And yet somehow, after all the power dams were destroyed, hydroelectric continues to supply 13% of Calfornia's power.

[RedMonqey]

This we can agree on. Basing a mordern industrial economy on such unreliable energy source is foolhardy.

Until battery technology is improved and upscale-able, wind and solar will be a “second class” form or energy.

No matter how energy efficient it may be...

[NonValueAdded]

“Mama, what did Californians use to light their homes before candles?”

“They used electricity, dear.”

[RedMonqey]

I can’t attest to the writer’s mental capacity but one doesn’t need conspiracy theories to explain the idiocy of California politics. PG and E, for whatever reason, didn’t clear the power lines to the standard previously done nor what other states do. Spending scarce monies on ‘renewable” energy is a plausible reason. So is California’s environmental insanity to the nth degree. Stupidity eventually shows up in systems and we are seeing the result of an system gone awry.

One thing for sure, it ain’t “Climate Change ‘ as the liberal pols are blaming...

[BipolarBob]

I lose power, I also lose Water.

Been there, done that. You need a 5000 watt to run well pump, fridge and deep freeze. maybe some lights. Have an electrician connect it to the breaker box with an interlock (to prevent backfeeding the line). Plus it enhances your home value if you decide to sell and get out.

[deport]

I like a good conspiracy theory but this one has no facts. Just supposition.

********

Actually it matters not a whit whether the fires are started at the
transmission lever or at the intermediate delivery level or the local
home/commercial delivery level. So it’s much easier to cut the power
at the generation/transmission level than the local level.

[RedMonqey]

"Actually it matters not a whit whether the fires are started at the transmission lever or at the intermediate delivery level or the local home/commercial delivery level.

True, but it's much easier to blame Climate Change and PG and E than to admit to over forty years of idiotic governance by questionable pols like Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown or Gavin Newsome.

[Big Red Badger]

Thanks,
Looking into it.

[beef]

Electric cars are virtue signalling. If the hard left get their way the proles will have no cars, period. They will be lucky to be issued bicycles.

[Openurmind]

Sounds like you need a storage tank. We have a 3600 gallon storage tank, and if we are careful with water we can make it last a month. Even a thousand gallon tank can be made to last a week. Ours is on a tower gravity feed but it doesn’t need to be. And a small 10-15 gallon per minute pump will still give a decent shower.

[CapnJack]

Honestly Mr. Lamarr we tried to burn out them conservative folk in Rock Ridge and make it look like the power company was the ones who done it ... but that new Sheriff got the drop on us!

I must have that land Taggart do you hear me! Work up a Number 6 on them!

[Daffynition]

So, we don’t need all those stupid charging stations then, eh?