Heat Stretches California Power Network to the Limit(25k without power in City of LA)

LA Times ^ | 7/25/06 | By Sharon Bernstein, Patrick McGreevy and Marc Lifsher, Times Staff Writers

[BurbankKarl]

Southern California was struck with a new round of power outages Monday as demand for electricity stretched the state's supply and the aging system of local lines and transformers continued to fail in the face of a record heat wave.

The demand for electricity was so great that California's power regulators asked some businesses to cut back their power usage. The state narrowly avoiding rolling blackouts as temperatures moderated slightly — a cooling trend expected to continue today.

Officials were more immediately concerned about the nearly 1,000 transformers atop power poles and in underground vaults that have been overwhelmed in recent days, leaving thousands without electricity.

Both the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Southern California Edison acknowledged Monday that their systems — parts of which were built in the 1920s and 1930s — were not designed to handle anywhere near the power demand produced during the heat wave.

Many older transformers are too small to carry the loads put on them by modern households, said DWP General Manager Ron Deaton.

--

One concern now is a shortage of new pole transformers statewide because so many have overheated over the last few weeks. But in the wake of the blackouts, several City Council members said they would push to replace the aging transformers more quickly.

[samadams2000]

***Cesspool Alert***

[BurbankKarl]

where is Huntington Lake?

[Sgt_Schultze]

America's Achilles heel.

[samadams2000]

North of the Cesspool. Joking, north east of Fresno, below Yosemite. Series of lakes created for power in the early 20th century. Welcome any time. All freepers.

http://huntingtonhistorical.org/history.htm

[StormEye]

"Both the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Southern California Edison acknowledged Monday that their systems — parts of which were built in the 1920s and 1930s — were not designed to handle anywhere near the power demand produced during the heat wave."

Inexcusable deriliction of duty by the state to maintain a modern electrical infrastructure.

[rake]

I live in a very remote spot in the hills of northern Cali - off the grid, using solar with generator back-up. Nice not to have to worry about blackouts, although I can't have AC so it's a trade-off when it's this hot. I wouldn't mind having solar AND be on the grid so I could choose what to use at any one time.

[ncountylee]

Trying to do my part by running on generator 4 hours a day for about a week. Switched to 12 hours today. Computer area, fridge, small TV, a few lights and fans are operational. Can also use microwave on lower settings.

[BurbankKarl]

Good for you...although I saw some complaints on the LA Times website that generator users were causing global warming...haha

[BurbankKarl]

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-power-gb,0,760962.graffitiboard?coll=la-home-headlines

some funny posts here.

[ncountylee]

that generator users were causing global warming...haha

They will hate me more, mine is diesel.

[an amused spectator]

LOL! Great stuff! What a crowd of 2-digit IQ morons (prolly perduced by the Kal publik skool sistim)!

Knowing what I know about how the publik skols "teach" all the chilren about The Green Earth, conservation, Gaia, etc., etc., I just love watching the children of everyone I know here in the Midwest flush the toilet multiple times if they even sneeze in the direction of the bathroom. And have 4 TVs running all over the house. And leave the computer printer up overnight. And laugh at ME for watching power consumption.

I imagine the California Green simpletons aren't much different - for after all, they are still children in mind... ;-)