Posted on 05/29/2021 5:02:27 AM PDT by Kaslin
Last summer, when a heat wave rolled across the western United States, California residents experienced energy blackouts as a result of a difficult-to-manage power grid. Even after that experience, which put residents’ health at risk due to excessive heat exposure, California continued its push to ban fracking, shut down nuclear power plants, and rely solely on renewable energy. Now, anew report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) states that “California is at risk of energy emergencies during periods of normal peak summer demand and high risk when above-normal demand is widespread in the west.”
The report says that there is a 400-megawatt shortfall expected at peak demand. This shortfall will come despite an addition of over 3 gigawatts, the majority of which will come from solar power, and an additional 675 megawatts of new battery storage systems. These increases are still expected not to be enough when California needs energy most and show that California hasn’t learned its lesson.
The issue last year, and likely this summer as well, was that when energy demand rose to peak demand—when people returned home after work in the late afternoon and the heat of the day remained—solar power production dropped off dramatically. While increased battery storage may help to overcome the lack of solar power production, California is still going to face difficulties with managing their energy grid this summer.
The NERC report does state that the increase of solar power and battery storage should help mitigate issues in the late summer, the time when California experienced the blackouts last year. But the reality is that currently, California is in a bad position to handle even normal summer energy grid demands.
California, as the sole state with a “high risk” status from the NERC report, paints a concerning picture of our nation’s energy future if the climate activists get their way and aggressive climate policies are embraced at the federal level. The Biden administration has certainly followed this aggressive climate policy path, particularly with the recent U.S. Paris Climate Agreement pledges of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52% by 2023 and having a net zero emissions economy by no later than 2050.
Meanwhile, while often hailed as a “leader” and “example for other states” by climate activists, California has thrown itself headlong into embracing renewable energy and vilifying any other types of energy. But this has also already made their electricity generation unreliable and it’s only going to get worse if they continue down this policy path. Governor Newsom is pushing to ban fracking by 2024. The sole operational nuclear power facility in the state, which produces almost10 percent of the state’s energy, is scheduled to close beginning in 2024 as well. These are dangerous steps for California and puts Californians at risk.
Ironically, this isn’t even the best way to fight climate change and bring down emissions. Innovations that have made traditional fuel sources cleaner have driven our reduced emissions and improved environment.
Fracking made natural gas inexpensive, allowing it to overcome coal as the main source of electricity generation for our nation, a change which has helped us to greatly reduce emissions and keep energy costs low. Nuclear power, while playing a smaller role in our nation’s electricity generation at around20 percent, is carbon-free, cheap, and reliable. Our nuclear power capacity has remained stable at 20 percent for the last three decades but new technology coming online will reduce initial project costs and open up opportunities for additional nuclear power generation. Nuclear power has an important role to play in our clean energy future.
The rolling blackouts across the state last summer should have been a wake-up call for the state. Even now, this NERC report is warning state leadership once again that their energy policies are putting their residents at risk. California needs to change its course and show true leadership by recognizing the limitations of renewable energy and finding innovative ways to both reduce emissions and provide reliable, affordable energy to its residents. A first step will be to stop attacking nuclear power and fracking and stabilize their energy grid by incorporating these reliable and clean energy sources.
The state and postal service to order more electric autos that should help things along Oh and electric semis too.
/s
My team did a Real Time Pricing research project in the late 80s at the World Financial Center in NYC (across the street from the World Trade Center). Honeywell was our contractor for the system and the research. We communicated rates from ConEd to the system a day ahead (which was a real challenge before the ubiquitous Internet, optical, and wireless communications systems we have today). The building had a HUGE “cool storage” system underground where we could “charge” it with cold during the night and then use the chilled water in the daytime to reduce rates during the hot afternoons. The system also measured indoor air quality so we could reduce air circulation and fresh air makeup, but not go so far as to adversely effect indoor air quality. The savings in the building were huge. We did a similar project at the Marriott Marquis hotel in NYC (without the cold storage) with similar results. My boss was the guy who really innovated all the early “demand side management” concepts and R&D at the time.
I have had two brief outages so far in the last 2 weeks.
I am in the San Fernando Valley near Chatsworth and Woodland Hills, Calif.
One did not reset the digital clock but did shutdown the 2 pc’s and tv. The 2nd one was several minutes long. I work from home and use the computer to talk to the callers. I received an email from the cable company saying there was an outage and it could be a few hours to restore. Lucky they were wrong : )
Last year there were many outages around my area but I was not affected. I expect more unfortunately.
I couldn’t care less about CA problems. I live in a town with a city owned utility; gas, electricity, fiber optic cable to each house for tv and high speed internet. We sell excess power out onto the grid which reduces everyones electtic bill. I have to shovel snow in the winter but I’ll take it.
I mentioned my home in VA that had the very successful Honeywell Transec system. Purely by coincidence, my boss at the time had a home that also had an experimental HVAC setup sponsored by the power company. That home used a similar heat sink as your commercial system except it used a rock filled vault that air was blown through. IIRC, it used 2 heat pumps with one dedicated to charging the heat sink with heated or cooled air during off peak rate periods. The house HVAC heat pump separately blew air through the heat sink instead of using outdoor air as is typical. This system yielded similar low energy costs as my fancy electronic system.
A home HVAC system that is very simple to install/operate and has a terrific return on investment that uses a twist to the conventional heat pump setup. What you do is to exchange the heat using liquid instead of ambient air. First a hundred or two of polypropylene is buried in the backyard. This is charged with water + antifreeze and operates on a closed recycle loop to a liquid to Freon heat exchanger at the heat pump. You delete the air to Freon heat exchanger. My cousin has been installing these systems for 40 years.
Especially when no TIME is mentioned.
The UGLY part or the SIN part?
Isn’t FR in California?
Are WE running on solar?
With a small solar panel I can keep my phone charged jjust fine; but what about the phone TOWERS? the routers?? the ISP guys?
how redundant IS the web if lines begin to go down?
You should
have bought
a squirrel.
I have variable right here in central Indiana!
This could spark rage all over the place!
Watt’s seems to be the problem??
Power to the people!!!
What ARE cockles?
And just WHERE are they located in my blood-pumping organ??
You do NOT need MORE money, but fewer expenses!
FR is currently running on “Linode” servers in a data center in Dallas, TX. I suppose if John/Jim lose power in Central CA then John won’t be able to “remote manage” the server for awhile, but no biggie.
OOooh Texas.
Didn’t they just have some type of power problem?
Yeah, too much wind & solar. (Copying CA).
California just needs to pass a law against the sun setting.
It’s that simple.
LOL.
You are so right.
Did you know they sell tee shirts AND MASKS at Teepublic.com? A mask!
You Should Have Bought A Squirrel T-Shirt
Designed and Sold by woodsman
From the film Rat Race, Sizes S-5XL.
Mask: Was $15 now $12. Adult of child.
Just have everybody light a single candle rather than curse the darkness. And vote GOP in CA.
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