Living on brink of blackouts
Keeping power on largely dependent on valley residents' conservation habits
Benjamin Spillman
The Desert Sun
July 21, 2005
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Four years after the last so-called "rolling blackout," Californians are using record amounts of electricity but have yet to return to the dark days of the infamous 2001 energy crisis.
But even though there's more juice today than four years ago, something as small as a shift in the wind could trigger a statewide power alert.
And a burgeoning population in the eastern Coachella Valley means a local utility that skated through the energy crisis four years ago is closer to the edge today.
That leaves locals to balance grid-saving electricity conservation against the desire for a cool reprieve from soaring desert temperatures. Wednesday's high was 107 degrees. Today it's expected to hit 110.
"I work in this heat all day long; I want to go home and have a nice cool house," said George Garcia of Cathedral City during a break from some yard work in Rancho Mirage.
The California Independent System Operator - a state-sponsored nonprofit corporation that monitors electricity supply and demand over about 75 percent of the state - reports a Stage One power alert is "possible" today.
That would happen if customer demand is high enough to tap into a 6 to 7percent reserve supply, according to the system operator.
During a Stage One Emergency, the system operator urges customers to voluntarily reduce power to avert stronger management measures up to and including the dreaded "rolling blackouts," also known as a Stage Three Emergency.
The system operator says the blackouts, a measure it could take should reserves dip below about 1.5 percent, are unlikely to occur.
"When demand for energy gets so high and there is no additional energy to meet that demand, we would start slowly eating into that reserve," said Gregg Fishman, a spokesman for the operator.
Statewide, the operator's grid reached a near-record peak demand of 45,431 megawatts on Wednesday. A megawatt provides enough power for 650 average homes.
Although Stage Two and Three emergencies are unlikely, Fishman said that could change if there is a major supply disruption or if a high-pressure system that's shielding the populated coast from the inland heat were to shift to the west.
"All bets are off at that point when we have this kind of demand," Fishman said.
If the system operator were to act, it could impact Coachella Valley residents west of Washington Street. That region is served by the utility Southern California Edison, which is part of the state grid system.
"They would then call the utilities and tell us, 'You need to drop a certain amount of (power) load,' " said Paul Klein, an Edison spokesman.
Residents roughly east of Washington Street, an area that includes La Quinta, Indio and Coachella, get their power from the public utility IID Energy.
That utility is operated by the El Centro-based Imperial Irrigation District and isn't subject to the system operator.
That meant that in 2001 IID customers were largely insulated from the "power crisis" that gripped much of the state.
But rampant population growth in that area since 2001 has IID Energy grappling with its own supply-and-demand issues.
On Monday, IID customers used a record 898 megawatts, according to an estimate from the utility.
System managers for IID averted major outages despite demand that exceeded some of their forecasts. But they also called on customers to conserve in an effort to prevent an overload.
IID Energy spokeswoman Rosa Maria Gonzales said the utility has enough power to meet demand, but too much strain at once can draw down the voltage, much like turning on multiple taps can reduce water pressure.
Like with the larger state grid system, IID system managers can take action if demand dips into its approximately 16 percent reserve pool.
"When you do drop into that reserve, it is a good idea to notify your customers," Gonzales said.
IID Energy urges customers to reduce electricity use via local media. If it were to take stronger measures, the utility would alert the public through the media.
It also would make calls to emergency service customers like hospitals, fire departments, police stations, water treatment plants and people with electric health equipment like respirators, she said. IID maintains a list of such customers, but the number of people on the list was not readily available, Gonzales said.
IID Energy could implement its own version of rolling blackouts, something it calls planned interruptions, if the power situation became dire, Gonzales said.
In that event, which is considered unlikely so far, the interruptions would affect anywhere from about 200 to more than 500 of IID's approximately 125,000 connections for 15 minutes at a time, she said.
It's something that hasn't happened within IID.
In 2005, the utility has 1,035 megawatts of capacity and forecasted a peak demand of 890 megawatts.
Next year it forecasts 939 megawatts of demand and 1,080 megawatts of capacity.
For the most part, utilities across the state are asking customers to conserve - valley residents included.
And in the sweltering heat a power outage would be inconvenient, to say the least.
"We can take off to the mall when (electricity) is out," said Dawn O'Neil of Cathedral City.
However, O'Neil said, she worries about the family's dogs and bird should the power go out on a hot day.
"That is my concern, not for us, but for the animals," she said.
Larry Soule of Rancho Mirage said he keeps his thermostat set around 80 degrees, but doesn't change many energy habits during the summer.
"I am not a fanatic about it but I pay attention to it," Soule said.
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WHAT'S A 'ROLLING BLACKOUT'?
Rolling blackout is an unofficial term to describe when utilities attempt to avert major electrical grid problems caused by excessive demand by briefly cutting off some customers. It hasn't happened in California since 2001, according to the California Independent System Operator.
"I work in this heat all day long; I want to go home and have a nice cool house."
George Garcia, Cathedral City
Prevent Overloads
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Conserve electricity, especially during summer months. Here are some tips:
Set the thermostat to 78 degrees or higher.
Use fans to circulate air.
Draw the drapes or shades.
Turn off unnecessary lights and appliances.
Use major appliances during the early morning or late at night.
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