Preparing for summer 2021

Preparing for Summer 2021

The August 2020 heat waves and subsequent blackouts left thousands of customers in the dark. This was the first time in more than 20 years the state experienced this level of grid emergency. This year, California’s grid operator and regulators, along with many others in the energy industry have been working on solutions to prevent power emergencies.

We are still faced with the reality that climate change is impacting our environment, leading to more extreme heat, drought and wildfires. This is why Silicon Valley Clean Energy is working to fight climate change locally by advancing innovative solutions that offer an affordable, equitable and reliable transition to a clean grid. We all have a role to play in helping prevent outages by being good stewards of our grid.

WHAT HAS THE STATE DONE OVER THE LAST YEAR TO PREVENT GRID EMERGENCIES?
The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) released a summer reliability assessment that highlights three main areas of improvements for this summer:

Additional energy generation capacity

  • Achieved through a combination of procuring new resources like energy storage and biomass, also extending the operation of some natural gas facilities that were slated to close.

Energy market reforms

  • Accelerated new project development and set requirements to increase resources from demand response programs and energy storage.

Enhanced emergency conservation measures

  • Streamlined and made improvements for the statewide Flex Alert program.

WHAT IS SILICON VALLEY CLEAN ENERGY (SVCE) DOING TO HELP WITH ENERGY RELIABILITY?
Here are additional measures that SVCE is taking to ensure sufficient energy supplies that support the California grid:

Energy Procurement

  • Procuring adequate supply to meet our demands.
  • Invested $1.6 billion in renewable energy projects to come online over the next several years. This includes solar paired with battery storage, which allows clean energy to charge batteries during the day and then be released onto the grid during peak evening hours.
  • Contracted for geothermal power, which offers 24/7 baseload renewable energy supply.

Power supply forecasting

    • The power resources team conducts assessments and monitors risk on an ongoing basis.

New customer programs

    • Jointly conducting outreach with PG&E for the new Emergency Load Reduction Program to commercial and industrial customers.
    • Scaling customer offers and services, such as the GridShift EV Charging pilot to enroll more participants in a virtual power plant.

Customer communications

    • Established a protocol to inform customers of when there are events and offer tips on how to conserve energy during peak hours.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FLEX ALERT, GRID EMERGENCY AND PSPS EVENT?
As we head into summer, we would like customers to be aware of the different levels of potential power events. Here is a breakdown of the kinds of events that may occur if we are impacted by more extreme heat:

Event Type
Authority
Details
Flex Alert
CAISO
Voluntary call for conservation from 4 – 9 p.m., generally occurs during extreme heat when demand for air conditioning is high.
Stage 1, 2 or 3 Emergency
CAISO
Stage 1 – Strong need for conservation.
Stage 2 – CAISO unable to meet expected demand, orders power plants online.
Stage 3 – Unable to meet energy requirements and power outages are imminent or in progress.
Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS)
PG&E
PG&E will proactively shut off power in response to certain weather conditions in high fire-threat areas.

Customers may sign up directly for Flex Alerts at FlexAlert.org, or download the ISO Today app.

HOW CAN I PREPARE FOR POWER OUTAGES?
Make sure your information is up to date with PG&E so that you can be notified of a PSPS event. More information about PG&E PSPS events and resources such as Community Resources Centers that are offered during outages may be found here.

SVCE has resources for customers interested in adding some resilience to their homes or buildings with solar-plus-battery storage.

WHAT IF I RELY ON ELECTRICITY TO POWER MEDICAL DEVICES?
Like above, it is important to make sure your contact information is up to date with PG&E so you can be notified of any potential shutoffs. Also, make a plan with friends and family, or others that you may rely on to assist you.

You may also sign up to receive assistance from the Silicon Valley Independent Living Center. More information may be found at: https://svilc.org/emergency-services/.

Click here for background on the summer 2020 power outage events.