Heat Wave Taxes Electrical Grid
The operator of the state’s electrical grid asked Californians to conserve energy Monday after a Southern California transmission path reached its peak capacity.
The California Independent System Operator issued a transmission emergency, but officials said they didn’t expect to have to order rolling blackouts.
ISO officials did ask some large electricity users to curtail their electricity use voluntarily. Those customers pay less for electricity in return for reducing their electricity usage when demand is high.
The ISO oversees much of California’s power grid. On Monday, the grid reached its highest demand for power so far this year, moving an estimated 40,451 megawatts of electricity. One megawatt is enough electricity to operate about 750 homes.
In addition to saving 600 megawatts from voluntary curtailments, the ISO asked consumers to avoid using heavy electrical appliances, such as dishwashers and clothes washers and dryers, between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
The ISO also recommended that thermostats be set no lower than 78 degrees.
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