California: Energy alert blamed partly on conservation letdown

The San Francisco Chronicle ^ | July 10, 2002 | Robert Salladay, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Sacramento -- California officials declared an energy alert for the first time in a year Tuesday, as a searing Western heat wave and a general malaise about energy conservation-thinned power reserves.

State officials said they expect a tough week as the heat wave continues. Although more power plants are running than during the 2000-01 energy crisis, Californians are not conserving electricity as conscientiously as they did just a year ago, officials said.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Of that, 2,200 megawatts were unavailable because of unexpected power plant shutdowns, including units in Huntington Beach and Redondo Beach.

The city and State won't let the AES units run , I believe.

Hardly an unexpected outage!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

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[goldstategop]

They're blaming Californians for guzzling too much energy. Well GrayDown gave every one the impression the power crisis was as good as solved. Now people are being reminded he has yet to make good on his boast. As for conservation, the government hasn't done the job of trying to prepare people for the fact new power plants won't be online for several years and no wonder its surprised by the reappearance of power outages. Welcome to the wacky world of Kalifornistan.

[Carry_Okie]

Not only that, but so many businesses with high power needs have left the state and general production has fallen so much due to the recession that this charge is totally empty.

[Dog Gone]

a general malaise about energy conservation

The last politician who blamed the people for a "general malaise" was Jimmy Carter.

[olivia3boys]

It's 108 today where I live in CA. It was 105 yesterday. I'm running all my electricity as much as possible because I'd LOVE to have some rolling blackouts! I look at my resulting higher electic bills as sort of an in-kind contribution to Simon. Besides, I'm subsidizing all this electricity now through all my higher CA taxes, doubled vehicle registration fees, etc. I might as well enjoy my A/C since I'm paying for it in ways other than just to PG&E!

[NormsRevenge]

The state has undertaken an aggressive campaign to build more power plants and encourage Californians to use less energy.

B S !!! .. Yeah, Right!
DUMP DAVI$ & the Den of Socialists

GO SIMON

[Inspectorette]

t's 108 today where I live in CA. It was 105 yesterday. I'm running all my electricity as much as possible because I'd LOVE to have some rolling blackouts! I look at my resulting higher electic bills as sort of an in-kind contribution to Simon. Besides, I'm subsidizing all this electricity now through all my higher CA taxes, doubled vehicle registration fees, etc. I might as well enjoy my A/C since I'm paying for it in ways other than just to PG&E!

Funny, I was thinking the same thing on the way to work this morning - we Californians should show Grayout Doofus how highly we think of him and crank it all up to the highest power - it would be a definite campaign boost for Bill Simon.

[Robert357]

Save yourself some money and turn down your AC, they are cutting power schedules each hour. Unless something breaks, it looks like they have enough power to make it throught the day, which is the way it should be.

[olivia3boys]

But don't you see, we Californians now pay for the A/C, whether or not we use it, because Davis in his wisdom decided the state should subsidize it for everybody? Now, if I paid the full cost of running my A/C to PG&E, which is how it should be, my bill would be $500/mo or something and I'd certainly cut back. Since the cost is heavily subsidized now, I'd be suffering for nothing by sitting around in the hot darkness while everyone else enjoys their subsidized, communist electricity.

[Robert357]

This kind of article really frosts me! Where to start on this bunch of *&%$!#@.

Earth to stupid reporters, it was a Stage 1 Energy EMERGENCY, not a Stage 1 Energy ALERT!

As a result, the severe hot weather throughout California and Nevada and a few unexpected power plant breakdowns forced state grid operators to call a Stage 1 alert(sic).

"People still need to understand that this is still a market that is vulnerable," said Richard Katz, a top energy adviser to Gov. Gray Davis. "If anything comes out of today, it's just a reminder that the conservation piece of this is critical to us in California."

So, over 2,000 MW of unplanned outages is a "few unexpected power plant breakdowns." Gosh, I would hate to be around when anything out of the ordinary happened!

Yep, we go to remember that the environmental voting block is important so we have to push conservation even though a real translation of what happened would something as follows.

The lower power consumption earlier this year, due to poor economic health of business, but labled as conservation, has not remained at below normal levels as the economy has improved and business has increased employment and production. What Davis would like to urge is more power conservation unless it involves the loss of jobs among his support groups.

[Robert357]

I'd be suffering for nothing by sitting around in the hot darkness while everyone else enjoys their subsidized, communist electricity.

You do have a point about how messed up things are with the current price disconnect for most of the PG&E, SCE customers.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I think this is right out of the Governor's Press Relations office.

See my comments on the Huntington Beach power plant!

[Robert357]

Yes, I did see your reference to our favorite plant at Huntington Beach, where the sewage is dumped into the sea and it is the powerplant's fault that it raises the ocean temperature to the point that the bacterial in the sewage grow too much. Like treat the sewage, please!

Earlier in the morning is spotted this article and went balistic and wrote a scathing e-mail to the Chronicle. I pointed out to them that it was not an Alert, but an Emergency. I just got a reply and thought the folks here might be interested in that reply.

Thanks for writing. I'll pass this along to Karen at the AP. The lines on the Cal-ISO chart did get alarmingly close at 3 p.m. yesterday; I don't know why they didn't go to stage 2.

-- Vlae Kershner, news director, SF Gate

I guess when the News Director can't figure out what a Stage 2 Emergency isn't declared their may be hope that a story will come out of yesterday. Still waiting for response from the ISO.....and waiting and waiting and waiting.....

[Liz]

People still need to understand that this is still a market that is vulnerable," said Richard Katz, a top energy adviser to Gov. Gray Davis.

That's so, so sad. {{{sniff}}}} I think I'm gonna choke up {{{sob}}}.

[Redleg Duke]

Of course, it is always us that are at fault, never them.

[runningbear]

can you say, David S. Freeman.... Corruption I tell you. I am telling ten people to tell ten people to use the power they want. The heck with conservation, it is the environmental wackos doing the damage. I want rolling black outs, so I can tug, pull and put all the blame on the demo'rats' and let them whine like snibbling idiots they are. Vote them out of office. :o)

[green team 1999]

i turned the ac all afternoon,waiting for a blackout,no such luck,will try again tomorrow.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Way to go. I have no A/C but I turned on all the lights!