Palomar Energy Center. (Photo: San Diego Gas and Electric)
California Power Grid Emergency Sparks Renewed Debate Over Unreliable Renewable Energy
The real unsung hero last night was… Oil. Gas. Coal. Nuclear. Hydro.
By Evan Symon, July 21, 2023 1:43 pm
The California Independent System Operator (ISO) announced Friday that they would not be asking for power conservation from residents a day after emergency alerts had declared an emergency alert due to not enough solar power being generated to meet demand, raising concerns about the viability of California’s current energy resources.
Since the beginning of the century, California has gone through many major electrical crises. The 2000-2001 electrical crisis, which caused blackouts across the state, helped lead to to the downfall of then-Governor Gray Davis two years later. In more recent years, largely due to the shift from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy to help meet the states goal of being zero carbon by 2045 and wildfires causing shutdowns of parts of grids, blackouts and flex alerts have become more common. A 2020 heatwave caused rolling blackouts across the state, while a heat wave last year nearly caused the power grid to fail if it wasn’t for text messages sending flex alerts asking residents to reduce power usage.
Governor Gavin Newsom and other lawmakers have also instituted new laws and programs designed to boost electrical resources and allow energy usage to not reach a critical point again. Despite these programs, power usage has continued to press the system due to a growing demand for electricity caused by the growth of electrical cars and the removal of natural gas systems from residences, as well as the fossil/renewable energy conversion.
Currently, the state is using 49% fossil fuels, 21% solar, 10% nuclear, 10% wind, and 9% hydro for electricity generation. While the state is continuing to build new renewable plants and shutting down fossil fuel plants, gaps in the coverage continue to be uncovered. Energy storage is still far below where it should be, and the state barely dodged a huge possible energy deficit earlier this year by extending the life of Diablo Canyon Nuclear power plant, as it generates around a tenth of the states energy – something that could not be quickly replaced.
The solar energy problem, or not being able to generate electricity at night, flared up on Thursday. With many people putting on air conditioners and using more electricity than normal as dusk approached, the amount of solar generation couldn’t keep up. As a result, at 7:30 P.M., ISO declared an emergency for an hour, stating that “an emergency has been declared due to heat conditions and higher than anticipated demand” . According to a tweet later that night, they managed to avoid a flex alert by securing additional resources, and currently have enough to not have an emergency on Friday.
“California ISO declared an Emergency Energy Alert 1 at 7:30 p.m., but was able to secure additional resources and ended the declaration at 8:30 p.m,” tweeted ISO. “No Flex Alert has been declared, and no alerts are planned for tomorrow.”
California ISO declared an Emergency Energy Alert 1 at 7:30 p.m., but was able to secure additional resources and ended the declaration at 8:30 p.m. No Flex Alert has been declared, and no alerts are planned for tomorrow. https://t.co/ocNUO57Kh4
— California ISO (@California_ISO) July 21, 2023
Despite assurances that ISO would be operating smoothly once again, the emergency renewed worries that the conversion to renewable energy was happening too fast, and that the state should continue to have ample fossil fuel resources to continue to make sure that the state had enough energy and to give time for better technologies to develop for energy and energy storage.
“As much as California is trying to pump in green energy, the usage is just not keeping pace,” energy grid consultant William Halloran explained to the Globe Friday. “Their eyes have been too big for their stomach for awhile. Now, California’s system, sans energy resources, is actually pretty good. Connections go everywhere it is needed and it’s not a nightmare like Texas’, which has a habit to shutdown at the worst possible times. But the state does have problems. Last year they said not to power electric cars due to an energy shortage. I mean, that’s a red flag.”
“California needs to slow down and reevaluate renewable implementation. This latest emergency was caused by solar power not being able to generate power later at night. That’s not great. People cutting back at night did help, but you know who the real unsung hero was last night? Oil. Gas. Coal. Nuclear. Hydro. I’ll even throw in wind to be fair. Not solar, and not solar energy that was stored. Fossil fuels. That dependency is where renewable needs to be at to truly replace them, but we just are not there. And as Thursday showed, California cannot pretend to be there. It’s good that we are going in that direction, but we have got to reprioritize and come up with a more realistic plan. We cannot afford blackouts.”
More emergencies and flex alerts are possible in the coming weeks with high temperatures expected to remain in the 90s and above.
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July 31, 2020
Great article, Evan Symon. Please keep exposing how the “All-Renewables Dream (Nightmare)” is simply not possible, not do-able, and not one bit feasible. It’s unaffordable, hitting vulnerable populations hardest. It’s dangerous, it slaughters and incinerates hordes of birds, and the stop-and-start of it erodes electricity infrastructure before its time. And so much more. Most important, it’s not GREEN.
This mess is courtesy of environmentalists, climate alarmists, and the Democratic Party who let these wackos dictate energy policy in this state.
Green energy will slowly implode, because it is not feasible or practical.
Here in Sacramento County SMUD is price rationing because they did not build the infrastructure to match growth because, well, that is a Republican thing.
SMUD calls it’s rationing “Time of day billing”. So from 5pm to 8pm, is 32+ cents per Kwh, as people get home from taxpaying jobs, turn on the air, feed the little future tax payers, and charge up the virtue signaling EV, and try to start a load of laundry.
The democrats don’t invest in infrastructure, they spend it on hair brained social programs run by their kleptocrat buddies. The end result? Everyone in our idiocracy is worse off.
And due to our corrupt election system, the only option is to move.
Newsom and legislative Democrats are doing everything they can to create energy and water scarcity to completely control Californians? It’s what evil authoritarian and totalitarian dictators always do?
Yes TJ, it IS “what evil authoritarian and totalitarian dictators always do.” No question about it.
We should all be very concerned about this post-Covid attempt of “climate change” scaremongering by our creepy dictators to further control the populations of California and the U.S., as has been done in Europe, Canada, and elsewhere. It has NOTHING to do with “climate change.” As you know…..
It is no coincidence that the LA Times recently ran a story about normalizing blackouts as a good thing (to save the planet). The left always floats these stories shortly before implementing their plan which is rationed power.
Saw that L.A. Times nonsense, too, CW. Oh sure, right —- should we just learn to live with blackouts if it’s good for the planet? – is essentially what was said. Which is beyond ridiculous, but nothing new for the geniuses at the Times.
Let’s go 3rd World – shut the power off!
Here’s a surprisingly positive article regarding California nuclear power. “We toured California’s last nuclear power plant. Take a look inside” by Sammy Roth, July 13, 2023, The Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/environment/newsletter/2023-07-13/we-toured-californias-last-nuclear-power-plant-take-a-look-inside-boiling-point
One of the challenges to California energy policy which minimizes air and water pollution are firms that “greenwash” their fossil – heavy power offerings. Since 2016, Californians for Green Nuclear Power has been sharply critical of PacifiCorp, a Berkshire Hathaway Energy subsidiary. PacifiCorp has likely intensively lobbied California decision makers to shut down Diablo Canyon Power Plant to create market opportunities for their generation fleet which has approximately 6,000 MW of coal-fired generation, mostly in Wyoming and their 3,000 MW of natural gas-fired generation. To learn more about PacifiCorp’s indirection, please see “Closing Diablo Canyon spurs fears over replacement power,” April 5, 2022, Capitol Weekly.
https://Tinyurl.com/DCPP-VERSUS-COAL
To learn more about Californians for Green Nuclear Power’s (CGNP’s) advocacy for Diablo Canyon extended operations, please visit our website at CGNP dot org.
Why would anyone read the LA Times, and actually give them money? There is nothing but propaganda in that paper.
On another subject, John Kerry went to China to discuss reducing carbon emissions. They told him to take a hike.
Finally, why hasn’t the public noticed that after decades of climate catastrophe, not one of them has come true?
CORRECTION: Finally, why hasn’t the public noticed that after decades of climate catastrophe PREDICTIONS, not one of them has come true?
Four out of five commissioners of the California Public Utilities Commission are lawyers. That explains the mess California’s energy supply is.
https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/about-cpuc/commissioners
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the very top of the utility industry and a huge skilled labor gap at the bottom means all this “green” corruption will carry on until the water pumps stop working and the Owens Valley becomes the new capitol of California.